Forget IKEA and those little meatballs. Sweden's hottest new export is soccer star Freddie Ljungberg, 26, soon to follow the likes of Mark Wahlberg and Travis Fimmel as the face (and pecs and abs) of Calvin Klein underwear. "I've never taken off my clothes in front of a camera before," says Ljungberg (pronounced LUN-burg), who has played for London's Arsenal team since 1998 and was voted the Premiership Footballer of the Year in 2002. "But it's not just a man in underwear—it's a bit of an art thing, and I thought it was a great honor."

In Europe the single midfielder is also famous for his fashion-plate attire and out-there hair: He shaved off his crimson-dyed Mohawk when "we had a bit of a bad spell last season." Growing up in Vittsjo, Sweden, "he was always dying his hair different colors," says his brother Filip, 21, a fashion student who lives with Ljungberg in London. And—no surprise here—"He always had the girls chasing him at school." At least he's used to the attention his buff billboards will bring. On the street in London recently, "a girl pulled down her pants, and she had tattooed my signature down low," he says. "That's what happens."