Freddie Ljungberg tells Martin Keown 'I would have never apologised' to Ruud van Nistelrooy for Manchester United v Arsenal incident at Old Trafford
By Will Conroy
Published 15/04/2025 at 09:27 GMT+1
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Freddie Ljungberg has told Martin Keown he "would never have apologised" to Ruud van Nistelrooy for celebrating his missed penalty in 2003. Keown infamously barged into the Dutchman and celebrated in front of him after his last-minute miss in a heated goalless draw between Manchester United and Arsenal. Keown has since looked to bury the hatchet, but Ljunberg believes there was no need to do so.
‘I would never apologise’ – Ljungberg has no regrets over infamous ‘Battle of Old Trafford’
Video credit: TNT Sports
Freddie Ljungberg has told Martin Keown he should never have apologised to Ruud van Nistelrooy for the infamous clash between the pair at Old Trafford in 2003.
Keown celebrated in the Dutchman’s face after he missed a last-minute penalty in a heated goalless draw between Manchester United and Arsenal at the peak of the rivalry between the sides.
The former Arsenal defender barged into the back of Van Nistelrooy as he was berated by several of Arsene Wenger’s players, leading to chaotic full-time scenes.
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But when Keown and Van Nistelrooy reunited earlier this season pitchside at the King Power Stadium, ahead of Leicester City’s clash with Arsenal on TNT Sports, the former Gunner looked to bury the hatchet, saying: "Apologies for all of the shenanigans that went on back in the day."
Speaking exclusively with TNT Sports, Ljungberg told Keown: "I've seen some of your interviews afterwards and you apologised. I would have never apologised for what happened."
Discussing the incident, the former Sweden international added: "When you did that, by the way, I felt - I never said this on TV - but that we stood up for ourselves.
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'Apologies for all of the shenanigans' - Van Nistelrooy, Keown reunited after famous clash
Video credit: TNT Sports
"A lot of people in the media were like: ‘We were weak, we could get bullied, we were this, we were that, we’re not strong enough.’
"And that day, even if it didn’t look good, I felt inside that yeah, that team, we don’t get bullied.
"And that’s what everyone in England said: ‘Just kick them and they will fall.’ So no."
When Keown remarked that he felt his actions had let his team-mates down, Ljunberg responded: "You didn't let us down at all, you were a leader."
Reflecting on the rivalry between the two clubs and the infamous ‘Battle of Old Trafford’, Ljungberg said: "They were our big rivals. To be honest, they kicked us quite a lot.
"I felt that we were the better football team, but they had great team morale and they had togetherness and they did anything to win, so there was a clash a little bit."
'I signed for Arsenal because of Wenger'
Discussing his arrival in north London, Ljungberg told Keown that he signed for Arsenal "because of Wenger, not because of the team", amid interest from Europe's elite at the time.
Ljunberg, who signed for the club in the summer of 1998 from Swedish side Halmstad, told Keown: "I was actually going the next day to see the Italian team that won the league and the next day to the Spanish team that won the league. That was what was lined up for me for where I wanted to go.
"My agents were not too happy when I said: ‘No, I want to sign here.’
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Ljungberg on snubbing top European clubs to play for ‘amazing man’ Wenger at Arsenal
Video credit: TNT Sports
"It was only because I sat with Arsene for an hour. We didn’t talk about money, we just talked about football and values.
"I was like: ‘This man, I want to work with this man, this is what I want.’
"You all want to win, but you still want to be technical, you want it to be fast, you want it to be fun at the same time. He stood for everything I believed in football-wise."
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It may have been Wenger's footballing values that persuaded Ljungberg to join The Gunners, but his values off the pitch have also left a lasting impression on the former winger.
"He was a gentleman, he saw everybody, he didn't just see the ones that screamed the loudest," Ljunberg said.
"He cared about if my mum was sick or someone, he was like: ‘How’s your mum?’ He cared about the whole thing. I just thought he was and is an amazing man.
"When I came into training, I shook everybody’s hand, they’re like: ‘What is this guy doing?’ But I felt that’s the respect you need to give every morning. You need to see everyone, if that's the receptionist or that’s the cleaner, you shake each other’s hands in the morning, we’re all in it together. He brought those values into me at least."
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