Freddie Ljungberg: Arsene Wenger is a legend

Former Arsenal attacker Freddie Ljungberg believes Arsene Wenger has cemented his legend status by remaining in charge of the Londoners for 18 years.

Wenger celebrates his 18th anniversary as Arsenal boss by presiding over his 1,022nd game in Wednesday's UEFA Champions League group match against Galatasaray.

Ljungberg won two Premier league titles and three FA Cups under Wenger and was part of the 2003/04 unbeaten 'Invincibles' side which featured Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires.

The former Sweden international, who will play for Mumbai City in the inaugural Indian Super League, admits he enjoyed the best moments of his career under the Frenchman.

"It's amazing he's a legend as everybody knows," Ljungberg told Sky Sports. "Very few people have been able to achieve that and it shows what a great manager he is.

“A lot of us stayed at Arsenal because both the club and the manager are special. I was there for nine years in the prime of my football career and the way that we played football was special.

“We enjoyed it all of us and that was the main thing. The manager gave us freedom but we loved technical football, and he provided that, so it was an amazing time to play.”

Ljungberg, who had spells with West Ham United and Celtic after leaving Arsenal in 2007, is optimistic the club can continue to challenge for honours following the big-money purchases of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in recent seasons.

“I think the manager is versatile if you look at the number of teams he's created,” Ljungberg said.

“I won a number of titles when I was there and when they moved away from Highbury to the Emirates I think they had a bit of a financial restriction on his squad. But the boss still managed to get into the top four every time which is amazing.

“And now if you look at the last three years they’ve started spending the money again, winning a trophy straightaway last season. Hopefully they will be a force to reckon with in the future.”

Ljungberg has always been a cult figure with the Arsenal fans and admits his relationship with them will always be a special one.

“They were the most amazing fans I've ever met. I had a great relationship with them,” he said. “Even now I get goosebumps when I go to the stadium and they sing my name. It's a very, very nice feeling and it will always be a club that is in my heart.”