The man who single handedly made the banana hammock cool again has announced his International Retirement from the game after Sweden’s Euro 2008 exit at the Group D stage.

Although he’s still only 31 years old, Freddie Ljungberg has been a part of the Swedish National Team set up since 1998, the same time he joined Arsenal after leaving Allsvenskan club Halmstads BK.

Ljungberg, who was named Captain of Sweden back in 2006 after taking over for Olof Mellberg, was capped for the very first time against the United States in Orlando, a game that I was fortunate enough to watch up close as I was in the Full Team’s camp under Steve Sampson.

If you thought he was fast at this years Euro’s, you should have seen him at 21 years old.

“The simple fact is that the physical strain of doubling on the national team and in club football for such a long time has finally taken its toll,” the 31-year-old midfielder said in a letter on the Web site of local paper Helsingborg Dagbladet (www.hd.se).

“And that is why I have decided to concentrate on playing for West Ham United and that is where my focus will be.”

image via HumorFeminista