This is a rambling, tangential post which has nothing whatsoever to do with soccer. So don't say I didn't warn you.
It's actually about Swedes and google alerts. I love google alerts. They are so informative, yet so...random.
Given the combination of google alerts and our very own Freddie Ljungberg, I have recently discovered The Local, Sweden's News in English. This is apparently a mainstream news site, yet here are some of the recent headlines. (And I am not making any of these up)
Robot attacked Swedish factory worker Almost killed him, too.
Fetishism goes pop culture: Sweden’s latest social trend Self-explanatory?
Court climax premature for Madonna of Orgasm Church This church is a real church -- an actual "faith community" which has been around since the early '90s. And somebody has been complaining about the name, and the complaint and all the appeals have wended their way through the entire Swedish court system. Seriously.
Sweden, you socialist rascals, you.
Then there's the article that showed up in my inbox today, relating marginally to our Freddie:
Swedish men 'not as masculine as they used to be': study
Both women and men were also asked which type of man they found most attractive. A lot of men chose to skip this question but on the whole those who did answer agreed with the replies of their female compatriots, who responded as follows:
- The normal "boy next door type, like TV show host Fredrik Wikingsson": 26 percent.
- The James Bond type in a tailored suit: 18 percent.
- The metrosexual type, "like football player Fredrik Ljungberg": 13 percent.
- The slightly chilled out type, "like actor Rolf Lassgård": 6 percent.
- The tough muscle mountain, "like Sylvester Stallone in the Rambo movies": 3 percent.
- The lanky, musician type, "like musician Andreas Kleerup": 3 percent.
In case you missed that. Researchers (yes, researchers) break down men into categories like: "The tough muscle mountain." Because I know that that's exactly how I go around defining men. I like to sit in restaurants and go, "Ah. You. You're a tough muscle mountain. And you? Slightly chilled out type, all the way. Wait, why are you calling the cops? You can't arrest me! I'm doing research! I'm...I'm...SWEDISH!!"
(And you're now thinking, "Ah. Her lifetime ban from Denny's is suddenly making sense.)
After reading this, I'm thinking that for a Swede, Freddie is seeming remarkably...normal.
(And about the photo? No idea. I think he's wearing animal skins, but in a very metrosexual way.)