Henrik Larsson

Was up for that. Loved that game..

Was unreal..

 

A world great and he played for us at his peak. Always feel I should have appreciated that more at the time, savoured it more.

 

I remember knowing that watching a player in the hoops that was THAT good was a once in a generation experience. I remember his last game at Celtic Park was against Dundee Utd and he scored two goals and was in floods of tears after the match.

Henrik could have left us much earlier. Man United were very interested in signing him in 1999 and again in 2002 but he stuck with us. I cant actually describe how good the man was....he was at times unbelievable. I always remember how high he could jump from a standing start. Those two goals against Porto in the UEFA Cup Final he was about 4 and half feet off the ground when he met those headers in mid air.

 

Remember starting to cry when the big screen showed him in tears against Dundee Utd. Was like ffs but was relieved when I looked around and most people were filling up as well.

 

Mind when he came back to Celtic Park with Barcelona....and I think they beat us 1-3 and Henrik scored Barca's third goal. I think it was Alan Thompson that made a * up with a back pass and Henrik went through and just simply couldnae miss. But he didnt celebrate. Not even one wee bit. He loved being with us and we loved having him here. He proved just how good he was with Barca and then Man United cause there were still doubters that didnt give him any credit cause he played in Scotland. What a player. Simple as that

 

I was just 6 when the King signed. My whole life has been interwoven with his time at Celtic like one of his perfect dreads.

 

It's a sign.

 

Twenty-five years ago today, on July 25th, 1997, Henrik Larsson joined Celtic from Feyenoord. It was Wim Jansen who signed him for the club, and for that Celtic supporters will be forever grateful.

Of course, Wim, who sadly passed away earlier this year, will be remembered most of all for delivering the title back to Paradise that season – the club’s first league triumph in a decade – and the Swedish striker he brought to Glasgow played his part in winning that title.

Henrik Larsson was 26-years-old when he signed for Celtic. He left seven years later, having ensured his place amongst the greatest players ever to have worn the green and white Hoops.

In 315 appearances for Celtic, he scored an incredible 242 goals. Only Bobby Lennox and Jimmy McGrory have scored more goals for the club.

He won four league titles, two Scottish Cups and two League Cups, and helped the Hoops reach the UEFA Cup final in 2003. And his remarkable scoring record saw him win the Golden Shoe Award as Europe’s top goalscorer in the 2000/01 season, having scored 35 league goals as part of an incredible total of 53 in all competitions.

Henrik Larsson wore the No.7 jersey and he truly was the Magnificent Seven.

He joined Barcelona from Celtic in 2004, and two years later he helped the Catalan giants win the UEFA Champions League. That, by Henrik Larsson’s own admission, was the greatest achievement of his playing career.

However, the greatest period of that long and illustrious career, which also saw him gain 106 caps for Sweden, was the seven years he played for Celtic.




The 25th day of the seventh month should always be a day of Celtic celebration, remembering those seven unforgettable years, but this July 25th in particular is a special milestone.

The Celtic View caught up with Henrik Larsson ahead of the 25th anniversary of his signing, and in an exclusive interview with the club magazine, he admitted that thinking back on his playing career and the seven years at Celtic brings with it many happy memories.

“When you get older, especially once you stop playing the game, you start thinking a little bit more about what you’ve done and what you achieved and what you experienced,” Henrik explained. “And I’m no different from all the others in doing that.

“When you’re in the game and playing week in, week out, for me it was just necessary to stay in the bubble and just get on with it. It was all about the next game and then the next game.

“When you get older, the memories pop up in your head and I have a lot of smiles.

“I’ve always said that it was at Celtic that I made myself as a player. That’s where everybody saw me and saw my talents at a high level, so, for me, that’s the greatest period in my career in terms of playing and winning trophies, so that’s the greatest time.

“Whenever people ask me where was my best period, where did I like it the most, I always say, Celtic.

“Obviously, winning the Champions League with Barcelona was great as well. My greatest achievement in my career is being part of the team that won the Champions League, but my greatest period was at Celtic without a doubt.”

Wim Jansen had only been appointed Celtic manager at the start of July 1997, and he immediately targeted Henrik Larsson as a player he wanted to bring to the club. And after a protracted legal wrangle, he signed for what would prove to be a bargain fee of £650,000.



The Swedish striker joined a Celtic team that knew this was a crucial season ahead – they had to win the league and stop their city rivals from winning 10-in-a-row.

“Obviously I would say that Wim was the main reason why I signed for Celtic, and the fact that I wanted to stay abroad,” Henrik said.

“I could have gone home to Sweden but when Wim asked me to come to Celtic and he wanted to have me, I felt that, yes, I would do it because he was one of the guys who had brought me down to Holland.

“I knew that he liked my playing style and I had the hope that he could get me back on track, and he did.

“The players who were there did make you aware of the significance of winning the league, but it’s still very hard to comprehend.

“I’ve done a few interviews over the years, and the older I’ve got the more I’ve realised that maybe it was a blessing in disguise that there were so many new players that didn’t really fully understand what it meant for Celtic if we had let them win 10 in a row.

“Obviously you can count, but the more the season went on, you started to realise the importance of it, and thankfully we didn’t need to experience that and we managed to stop them from 10-in-a-row.”

Henrik Larsson knew when he played for Celtic just how much the fans adored him – just think of the emotional scenes at Celtic Park when he played his last game there for the club – and he still appreciates the relationship he has with supporters to this day.

“It’s a great feeling,” he said. “I don’t come back that much to Scotland but whenever I’m there, it’s always a great pleasure to be there because the fans are special and if they like you, they never forget you.

“Even if they don’t like you, they won’t forget you, but if they like you, it’s fantastic the way the Celtic fans are.

“It’s a great feeling, especially now as you’re getting a little bit older, you can enjoy it in a different way because, when you’re playing, you enjoy it but you don’t want to stand still in the moment, you just want to get on with it, stay in the bubble and get on with the games because you know that it’s end of the season that counts.”

 

* * where did that quarter of a century go. i still get that gut wrenching feeling when i think about his last game for us,still not over it

 

We’ve had many a terrific player in the modern era but this guy man. Ignore his talent. Not only was he a legend on the park, off it he was true to his word and one of the most humble, hard working and genuine people we have ever had.

What a person.


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Met him and had a chat once in my hometown in Sweden. He's exactly what you'd expect him to be. A absolute legend.

 

It will never get old watching that.

 

The King

 

He's the man

 

Used to have a Henrik mask that used to scare the life outta me by my bed