Red Bulls captain Emil Forsberg accused by wife of ‘ghosting’ family after move to New York

Red Bulls star Emil Forsberg and his wife of nearly eight years, Shanga, are splitting up, she wrote in a lengthy Instagram post while claiming the footballer “neglected” his family and was “ghosting” them.

Forsberg had joined the Red Bulls from RB Leipzig – the club’s German sister club in Bundesliga – over the winter and was quickly named the Red Bulls’ captain while helping the team get off to a 3-1-1 start this season. 

However, his soon-to-be ex-wife said that since his departure to the United States, he has not kept in contact with her and their two children while they remained in Sweden which led to her decision to file for divorce.

Documents have been filed to start the process, according to Swedish news outlet Expressen. 

“We will part ways. Words I thought I would never utter after two children and 19 years together and that still feel unreal,” Shenga wrote in Swedish in an Instagram post and translated by Goal.com. 

“I have loved you more than anything and always supported you. But even love has its limits. The greatest love is my children and I want them to know their worth just as I know mine. Being taken for granted and neglected is not love. A new start in New York was apparently a new start for you and your life. It was just that I, being a child, did not know about it beforehand. But it became painfully clear quickly. In the newspapers, we have read and seen that you are doing well and are ‘enjoying every moment’. You also have future plans. We didn’t know about them either.”

Forsberg, 32, and Shanga, 31, had been together as a couple for 19 years and got married during the summer of 2016. 

“If the reporters even knew you’ve been talking to them more than your family these past few months,” Shenga continued. “Since you haven’t communicated at all, apart from insisting that you can’t explain your actions, let time tell what it was you wanted to achieve by ghosting your family. I hope that in the future you can show respect and consideration for others despite your own needs. And have the courage and maturity to communicate. 

“I will continue to put the children’s well-being and need for security first. For your sake, I hope you don’t regret it and that your new life in NY is worth a divorce and the way you treated your children and their mother.”

The Swedish footballer has yet to publicly address the situation and he is currently on international duty playing with Sweden, which had two international friendlies this month against Portugal and Albania.