Henrik Larsson

So still good to post again.

 

On this day in 1997, Henrik is paraded at Parkhead after joining Celtic.



https://mobile.twitter.com/ReadCeltic/status/889621827223511042/video/1

 

Cracking goals from a cracking player and a cracking song from a cracking band.

Cracking.

https://twitter.com/FocusOnCeltic/status/889621353980186624

 

I remember going to a friendly with Roma, think it was to do with Annoni's transfer, and Henrik played. Could that have been his Celtic debut?
Anyone else remember this or have I lost the plot

 

HENRIK Larsson arrived at Celtic Park 20 years ago today, on July 25, 1997 without too much of a fanfare. He left seven years later, heralded as one of the club’s greatest ever players. He was the Super Swede, the Magnificent Seven, the King of Kings. He was Henrik Larsson of Celtic, and supporters loved him.

The Swedish striker joined Celtic from Feyenoord, signed by his former manager, Wim Jansen, following protracted contract difficulties with the Dutch club. It’s well-documented that one of his first touches as a Celtic player was to set up Chic Charnley to score the winning goal for Hibernian in a 2-1 at Easter Road, yet he would go on to score 242 goals in 315 appearances, making him Celtic’s third top goalscorer of all time, only behind Bobby Lennox and Jimmy McGrory.

He had few detractors, though those who were and who dismissed his scoring record because it was only in Scottish football, found their flimsy argument undermined by Larsson’s subsequent achievements at Barcelona and Manchester United, as well as his contribution to Sweden on the international stage. Anyone who knew anything about football always knew that Henrik Larsson was a world-class talent.

Henrik Larsson was great for Celtic but, as he has acknowledged himself, Celtic was good for him.

PRELUDE TO PARADISE
Henrik Larsson began his football career in 1988 at the age of 17 when he signed for Swedish team Hogaborg BK. After four years there, he then moved to Helsingborgs, where he displayed his talent, scoring 50 goals in 56 appearances. It was an impressive return in just over a year and it wasn't long before Dutch club Feyenoord came calling and he moved to Holland in 1993. It took him a while to settle into his new environment, though his scoring record continued to rise over the course of the next four years. However, in 1997 he indicated to the club that he wanted to leave. Celtic, now managed by Wim Jansen, who had been technical director at Feyenoord when they signed the player, moved to buy him and after a protracted legal wrangle, he moved to Paradise in July 1997 for what would prove to be a bargain fee of £650,000.

DEBUT BHOY
Henrik’s Celtic debut is well-known for being less than auspicious. Coming on as a substitute against Hibernian at Easter Road, he inadvertently gave possession away, allowing Chic Charnley to score what would prove to be the winner. However, it was to be one of the few ‘mistakes’ the Swedish striker would make over the next seven years. He scored his first goal for the club in the very next match – a 7-0 win over Berwick Rangers in the League Cup, and in that first season he would end up with 19 goals and two winner’s medals. He scored one of the goals in the 3-0 League Cup final victory over Dundee United while, more importantly, he helped Celtic win their first league title in a decade in ‘stopping the 10’. His goal against St Johnstone on the final day of the season settled nerves (a little!) at Celtic Park, before Harald Brattbakk’s second-half strike sealed the win and the title.

HIGHLIGHTS
The list of Henrik's achievements at Celtic could go on forever. He won four SPL titles, two League Cups, two Scottish Cups, and he was the top goal-scorer in the Scottish Premier League in five out of six seasons. In season 2000/01, Martin O'Neill’s first in charge at Celtic, Henrik had one of his most successful seasons at the club. He scored an incredible 35 league goals in 38 league matches, with an overall total of 53 goals in the season, helping Celtic win the treble. On a personal level, he also won the European Golden Shoe as the continent’s top scorer. Celtic began to dominate Scottish football and re-establish themselves as a European force and, not surprisingly, their Super Swede was at the heart of the success. His goals on the Road To Seville were absolutely vital, which he produced a stunning performance in the 2003 UEFA Cup final, scoring two goals. Overall, Henrik would make 315 appearances for the Hoops, scoring an incredible 242 goals.

LOW POINTS
There weren’t too many lows over the seven years. While the 2002/03 UEFA Cup final was a great highlight, the final itself was heartbreaking for Henrik and his team-mates as they lost 3-2 after extra-time to Jose Mourinho’s Porto side. Henrik scored two goals that night in Seville, and deserved so much more than praise and a runner's-up medal. Back in October 1999, he had suffered a serious injury, breaking his leg in a UEFA Cup tie against Lyon. It was a major blow to Celtic and the player missed the rest of the season, only coming on as a substitute in the final game of the season at home to Dundee United. However, he came back even stronger and better the following season as the Hoops won the treble.

BOWING OUT
Henrik Larsson left Celtic in the summer of 2004, after seven sensational years at the club. His final game at Paradise was a league clash against Dundee United, where naturally he scored both goals to give Celtic a 2-1 victory. At the end of the game there were tears on the pitch and in the stands on what was a very emotional day. During his last competitive appearance for the Hoops, the Super Swede scored another two goals to help Celtic beat Dunfermline and win the Scottish Cup. There was to be one final bow at Paradise – a farewell game against Sevilla – when the Celtic support said thank-you and goodbye to the Magnificent Seven.

HOMAGE TO CATALONIA
After seven great years at Celtic, Henrik moved on to pastures new, signing for Catalan giants Barcelona. The Celtic support had always known that he was a world-class performer, and he illustrated that during his time at the Nou Camp, helping Barca win two La Liga titles, and also the UEFA Champions League in 2006. He came on as a substitute and helped set up both of Barcelona’s goals as they came from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1. During his first season in Catalonia, he also returned to Celtic Park when Barca were drawn against Celtic, and he scored one of Barca’s goals in a 3-1 win at Paradise. He returned to Sweden and Helsingborgs in 2006, and during that time he had a loan spell with Manchester United, playing a part in their title triumph in 2007.

GOLDEN BOOT BHOY
When Henrik Larsson returned to first-team action following his leg break in 1999, he began scoring and couldn’t stop. Season 2000/01 saw Martin O’Neill in charge at the club and Celtic swept to the treble. Henrik scored a total of 53 goals in that campaign, including 35 in the league, a tally which saw him win the Golden Shoe Award as Europe’s top goalscorer. It was a fitting honour for a great player.













https://mobile.twitter.com/celticfc/status/889730687980388352/video/1

 

greatest player at Celtic i`ve ever seen; favourite goal is chipping Klos but also love that one against rangers* when ball swung in from the right, hes got his back to goal with the grease monkey amoruso tight on him, he touches it once while swinging round and volleys it with the left peg into the back of the net.

 

ON the pitch, they were a ruthless, clinical partnership whose contrasting styles suited each other perfectly.

Off the pitch, they were and remain still, close friends with a healthy respect for each other both as players and individuals and, as such, Chris Sutton was delighted to discuss the merits of his greatest partner, Henrik Larsson, in this week’s Celtic View.

Sutton’s football career had reached something of a crossroads by the summer of 2000, his move to Chelsea two years previously not having proved as successful as his previous spells with Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers had been. At the age of 27, he needed something positive to happen for him.

“I had a decision to make after a bad time at Chelsea,” the former Celtic striker explained. “Tottenham Hotspur. Middlesbrough and Celtic were in for me. To be honest, I felt Celtic were the best option for two reasons – Martin O’Neill and Henrik Larsson.

"I knew enough about Henrik – that he was a good international player who was scoring a lot of goals. I felt he had enough in him that would suit me as a player and I thought my style would work with him because he was an intelligent footballer who liked to play as a No.9.

"Did I think it would work just as well initially? Well, you never know, but I had an idea.”

Like any good relationship, the early stages are crucial and the Englishman was keen to have a chat with the Swede. The opportunity arose on the pre-season tour just after he had signed on in Paradise.

“Very early on I had a conversation with Henrik,” he said. “We went on pre-season to Germany and I just sat and talked with him saying ‘I’m not a threat here. I’ll play you in if I see the opportunity,’ and from that point, we got on.”

Of course, it wasn’t just Henrik Larsson’s imperious ability to find the back of the net as a Celt that impressed Chris Sutton.

“The thing about Henrik for me was how unselfish he was as a player,” he said. “It really was the most enjoyable part of my career. I felt when we got together and linked up we could give any combination of centre-halves a hard time.

"His awareness, his cleverness, his movement and his understanding of how to play with me really were the key factors.

“When I look back at my career, and the partnerships I played, I was always better as a foil for somebody. Teams play with one up front now but I played with Alan Shearer and he had his best season when I was with him at Blackburn Rovers.

"I had a good upbringing at Norwich, though things didn’t work so well at Chelsea, but I always felt I played better in a partnership.

“People would say it was telepathic between myself and Henrik because we knew were each other would be, but he really was such a clever footballer, an intelligent footballer.

 

Okay, got it!
Debut was against Hibs 3rd August, Roma game was midweek after. I've been convinced for years it was the other way round but never bothered checking.

 

What a guy !

 

Still can't find the words for this guy

 

There was a goal, at Dunfermline I think, that was just textbook telephathic pure and utter brilliant link up play

 

https://streamable.com/21u9m

 

Was at the legends game there, would start him no sweat.

 

TOM Boyd was Celtic captain when Henrik Larsson signed for Celtic on July 25, 1997. It was a vital season for the Hoops, who just knew they had to win the league title in order to stop the dreaded 10.

And the Super Swede played his part in that title-winning campaign under Wim Jansen, scoring 19 goals, including one on the day the title was secured in May 1998.

Of course, he would go on to cement his place as a Celtic legend, with 242 goals in 315 appearances, and Tom Boyd, as a team-mate for many of those seasons, was able to appreciate at close-hand, the talents of the Magnificent Seven…

What were your first impressions of Henrik Larsson?

My first impression was, ‘Well, he can’t play in the wide areas!’ In his first game he came in on the wide-left area, and obviously his first pass wasn’t great. I know he still gets ribbed about that to this day but he’s certainly repaid that many, many times over. Seriously, though, first impressions on the training ground, for not being the tallest player, he was very strong. You knew that when you were marking him and playing against him. He had a presence about him and that shone through.

How important was he in that 1997/98 season?

Henrik obviously got the important opening goal in the St Johnstone game on the day we won the title, and it was early in his Celtic career and he didn't have the players around him that he did later when he scored 53 goals in the 2000/01 season, but he certainly was an important part of the jigsaw. Thankfully, Wim knew of him and knew that we could get him relatively cheaply at that time and he turned out to be an absolute bargain. He was so important, as were so many other players. Over the course of the campaign, everyone had to chip in at some stage, some more than most and that’s why you have Players of the Year and so on. Henrik would have been up there, Craig Burley got it but I think Henrik would have been up there for consistency in his performance. You very rarely ever saw him having a bad game.

Could you have imagined what he would go on to achieve with Celtic?

At that time I did think there was potential. He certainly looked good enough. Obviously he was a very good player. I think it really hit off when Martin O’Neill came in and signed all the big players. That seemed to gel him with Chris Sutton and spark off John Hartson. So I think when he was set up by the better players, the rewards were there. We all knew he was fantastic. There aren’t many players to have left Celtic and go on to lift bigger trophies, he’s certainly done that. And that shows you the stature of the man.

 

He looked as fit as a fiddle. His movement was making me bubble up

 

The King of Kings. My favourite Celtic player ever.