Words Andrew Murray Interview Dani Gil It’s 20 years since Henrik Larsson brought an end to seven glorious seasons at Celtic, but he remains a legend at Parkhead – and at Barcelona, too. He tells FourFourTwo why his time at both clubs still means so much to him
Words andrew murray Intrview Doni Gil
HENRIK LARSSON
Henrik Larsson’s voice betrays him when he talks about Celtic. There’s often a seriousness to his clipped counsel during his chat with FFT, and he tends to choose his words very carefully. The delivery that he unwittingly reserves for his time in Glasgow is different. “I played in the UEFA Cup final and in the Champions League,” the 52-year-old reminds us, a warm timbre softening his answer. He pauses. “I had seven wonderful years at Celtic.”
Nearly two decades have passed since Larsson left Paradise for the last time in May 2004, but memories of the forward’s guile and instinctive predation remain crisp.
Overcoming a broken leg so bad that he struggled to walk to the toilet, Larsson plundered 242 goals in 313 Hoops appearances, won eight major honours to break Rangers’ Scottish Premier League monopoly, and had a starring role in Celtic’s first European final for 33 years. Across the 2000-01 campaign alone, he struck 53 club goals in all competitions as the continent’s deadliest marksman.
Yet it’s the way he made Celtic fans feel that mattered most. For a country bred on Buckfast short-term hits, Larsson was a fine wine enjoyed in peak condition. Then, just to prove any ‘farmers’ league’ jibes redundant having dedicated his prime years to Celtic, he won Barcelona a Champions League final almost single-handedly, and embarked on a three-month Manchester United cameo so good he melted Alex Ferguson’s iron heart.
Depending on your preference, the Swedish forward with 106 senior caps was, to Bhoys fans, either ‘The Magnificent 7’, ‘The King of Kings’ or simply ‘Ghod’. And when Ronaldinho calls you “my idol”, you’ve clearly done something right…
“I KNOW I AM BLOODY STRONG”
As he joined the youth team of local third-tier side Hogaborg, aged six, Larsson’s talent was conspicuous from an early age. By his early teens, however, he struggled for game time due to his diminutive stature. Instead of quitting as many of his peers did, he set about proving his coaches wrong, and when a growth spurt finally hit at the age of 15, size and talent combined for purest alchemy. By 17, he was a first-team regular.
“The thing about
