Henrik Larsson

Henrik Larsson
Henrik larsson snorsjoabalen 2007 1.jpg
Personal information
Full name Henrik Edward Larsson
Date of birth 20 September 1971 (1971-09-20) (age 38)
Place of birth Helsingborg, Sweden
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club Helsingborgs
Number 17
Youth clubs
1977–1988 Högaborg
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1988–1992 Högaborg 074 0(23)
1992–1993 Helsingborg 056 0(50)
1993–1997 Feyenoord 101 0(26)
1997–2004 Celtic 221 (174)
2004–2006 Barcelona 040 0(13)
2006– Helsingborg 065 0(32)
2007 → Manchester United (loan) 007 00(1)
National team2
1993– Sweden 102 0(37)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13:08, 5 July 2008 (CET).

2 National team caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2008.

* Appearances (Goals)

Henrik Edward Larsson (pronounced [ˈhɛnrɪk ˈlɑːʂɔn]; MBE, born 20 September 1971 in Helsingborg, Scania, Sweden) is a Swedish footballer, best known for winning four titles in seven years with Celtic. He subsequently had a two-year spell at Barcelona, where he won two titles and the Champions League. After his contract had expired at Barcelona, Larsson returned to his home town club of Helsingborgs IF, and joined Manchester United on a brief loan spell between January and March 2007.

Prior to his retirement from international football in 2006, Larsson had won 93 caps for Sweden, scoring 36 goals. On 13 May 2008, it was announced that Larsson would once again play for Sweden at the Euro 2008 championships in Austria and Switzerland. He is the captain of the Swedish national team.

Contents

Playing career

Early career

Larsson started his professional career playing for Högaborg at the age of 17. He subsequently moved to Helsingborgs IF, where he scored 50 goals in 56 appearances. It was this sensational form that attracted the interest of Dutch club Feyenoord, who signed him for £295,000 in 1993. This was despite the fact he was negotiating a contract with Grasshopper-Club Zürich of Switzerland at the time.[1]

Celtic

Following a contract dispute with Feyenoord, he was signed by Celtic manager Wim Jansen in July 1997 for a fee of £650,000. His debut against Hibernian at Easter Road was less than spectacular: he inadvertently passed the ball to Hibs player, Chic Charnley who then went on to score, resulting in a 2–1 loss for Celtic. He did not fare much better in his first European game, scoring an own-goal, although Celtic did go on to win 6–3. Few would then have predicted that Larsson would go on to become one of the club's greatest ever players, popularly dubbed the 'King of Kings'; however, his performances improved markedly and Celtic went on to win the Scottish Premier League and League Cup in his first season, ending the run of nine consecutive titles by Old Firm rivals Rangers in the process.

During Celtic's 1–0 defeat in a UEFA Cup tie against Lyon, Larsson suffered a career-threatening injury, breaking his leg in two places. This resulted in him spending eight months on the sidelines.

After recovering from this injury, and following the arrival of manager Martin O'Neill in 2000, Larsson and Celtic began to contest and win silverware on a more regular basis. Celtic won the Scottish Premier League title in three of the subsequent four seasons, as well as two Scottish Cups and a Scottish League Cup. In 2001 he won the "Golden Boot" award for being Europe's most prolific goal scorer, with 35 league goals. His total in all competitions that season was 53. In 2003, he scored two goals in the UEFA Cup Final, although opponents Porto went on to win 3–2. His goalscoring feats on the continent for Celtic mean he holds the record for number of goals scored for a club from the British Isles in European matches. Celtic fans voted him as the only foreigner in the greatest ever Celtic team.[2]

In his last appearance for Celtic, he scored two goals (with either foot) to defeat Dunfermline Athletic and win the Scottish Cup. He gave a teary goodbye at his testimonial match against Sevilla FC in front of a capacity crowd at Celtic Park, Glasgow. In all, Larsson scored 242 goals for Celtic in 315 matches.

In 2008, Larsson returned to Celtic Park for the Phil O'Donnell tribute match and scored with a scissors kick.

Barcelona

Warming up for Barça

At the end of the 2003/04 season Larsson left Celtic on a free transfer and signed a one year contract with Barcelona with an option for a second year.

Larsson's played only a nominal part in Barça's La Liga win in his first season at Barcelona. He scored three goals in 12 Liga games and one goal (against his beloved Celtic) in four UEFA Champions League matches. After the game he said "It was very difficult for me to celebrate my goal because I had so many great times here."[3]

On 20 November 2004, during the 3–0 victory in the derby versus Real Madrid, Larsson tore the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee. Despite having missed most of the 2004–05 season, Barcelona took the option to extend his contract. In 2005–06 Larsson scored 10 goals as Barcelona won La Liga for a second consecutive year.

In January 2006, Larsson announced that at the end of his contract, which ended in July, he would leave Barcelona and return to Sweden to end his career. He revealed that he had politely refused a verbal promise by club president Joan Laporta to extend his contract to the end of the next season. News of his departure provoked praise from his teammates, including Ronaldinho, who said, "With Henrik leaving us at the end of the season this club is losing a great scorer, no question. But I am also losing a great friend. Henrik was my idol and now that I am playing next to him it is fantastic."[4]

In his final game for Barcelona, he won his first UEFA Champions League medal. Larsson came on as a substitute and assisted both of Barcelona's goals in a 2–1 win over Arsenal. Thierry Henry paid tribute to Larsson's contribution to Barcelona's win after the game, saying, "People always talk about Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Giuly and everything, but I didn't see them today, I saw Henrik Larsson. He came on, he changed the game, that is what killed the game. Sometimes you talk about Ronaldinho and Eto'o and people like that; you need to talk about the proper footballer who made the difference, and that was Henrik Larsson tonight."[5] Indeed his ability to give Barcelona the cutting edge required to overcome Arsenal was noted by the international press:[6][7]

Larsson playing for Barcelona

Helsingborgs IF

After Sweden's elimination from the 2006 World Cup on 24 June 2006, Larsson joined up with his former club, Helsingborgs IF. He made his second debut for his home town club against Hammarby in the Swedish Cup on 6 July 2006.

Manchester United

Shortly after rejoining Helsingborgs IF, Larsson was signed on loan by Manchester United. United announced that Larsson would be on loan from 1 January until 12 March 2007, coinciding with the Swedish league's off season.[8] He scored on his debut against Aston Villa in the FA Cup Third Round on 7 January 2007 at Old Trafford.[9] Larsson scored his first ever Premier League goal on 31 January in a 4–0 win over Watford.[10] Larsson then scored on his last appearance at Old Trafford in a Manchester United shirt in a 1–0 UEFA Champions League win over Lille on 7 March 2007 to give United a 2-0 win on aggregate.[11]

Whilst United were eager to extend the loan deal, Larsson stated that he had made a promise to his family and his club to return on 12 March. This was confirmed on 20 February, when Larsson announced that he would not be extending his loan period.[12] Despite this, Sir Alex Ferguson was full of praise for the striker, who scored three goals in 13[13] matches in all competitions during his three-month stay, saying, "He's been fantastic for us, we tried everything we could to get him to stay longer, but he made a promise and you have to respect that." Larsson made his final appearance for United on 10 March in a sixth round FA Cup tie away to Middlesbrough, ending in a 2–2 draw.

Manchester United won the Premier League two months after Larsson had left the club, and although he had not played the required quota of 10 league games to qualify for a Premier League winners medal, he, alongside Alan Smith, was granted special dispensation by the Premier League after the club requested for extra medals for the two.

International career

Larsson's international record is impressive with 37 goals in 102 games, many of which he played in midfield or as a winger. He has always made his mark on big occasions and has scored at three goals World Cups (1994 at which Sweden came third.

Larsson originally chose to retire from International football in 2002. His decision was met with much dismay in his homeland and there was much clamouring for him to return to the team for their campaign at Euro 2004 in Portugal).[14] Despite initially maintaining his decision to retire, he eventually returned to the national side at the behest of his son, and to great effect, scoring three goals in four matches and leading Sweden to the quarter-finals, where they were defeated in a penalty shootout by the Dutch. Larsson's tremendous diving header against Bulgaria was voted Best Goal of the 2004 European Championships.

Henrik Larsson in Euro 2004

Larsson also featured at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He scored in the final minute of the match against England for Sweden to draw the match 2–2 in their final game in the group stages, thus becoming only the sixth player to score in three World Cup finals which are four years apart. The goal also sealed Sweden's qualification for the second round of the tournament. But in Sweden's Round of 16 game against host Germany, he blasted a penalty over the bar which could have given his team a lifeline after trailing 2–0 for most of the match!.

He retired from international football for the second time on 17 July 2006.[15] "It is time to quit now. It feels right. I'm done with the national team," the 34-year-old Larsson told TV station Canal Plus. However Sweden boss Lars Lagerbäck managed to lure Larsson out of international retirement once more and on 13 May 2008, the Swedish FA officially declared that Larsson had agreed to make a comeback and play for Sweden once again in Euro 2008.[16]

After former team captain Fredrik Ljungberg decided to quit the national team, Larsson was chosen to become the new captain in a friendly against France[17] on 20 August 2008.

Personal life

Henrik's father is from the Cape Verde Islands, off the coast of West Africa, and his mother is Swedish. In 1996 he married his childhood sweetheart, Magdalena. They have two children, Jordan (born 1997) and Janelle (born 2002).

Henrik still occasionally returns to Scotland to visit his long-time conditioning coach Dr Paul Bryson and to(on the odd occasion) watch Celtic.

Career statistics

Club performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sweden League Svenska Cupen Europe Total
1989 Högaborg 21 1 - - 21 1
1990 21 7 - - 21 7
1991 32 15 - - 32 15
1992 Helsingborg Superettan 31 34 - - 31 34
1993 Allsvenskan 25 16 5 1 - 30 17
Netherlands League KNVB Cup Europe Total
1993–94 Feyenoord Eredivisie 15 1 12 5 - 27 6
1994–95 23 8 9 1 - 32 9
1995–96 32 10 4 1 - 36 11
1996–97 31 7 4 0 - 35 7
Scotland League Scottish Cup Europe Total
1997–98 Celtic Premier Division 35 16 5 0 2 0 42 16
1998–99 Premier League 35 29 8 2 7 3 50 34
1999–2000 9 8 8 2 4 5 21 15
2000–01 37 35 7 5 5 4 49 44
2001–02 33 29 3 2 4 4 40 35
2002–03 35 27 2 2 12 12 49 41
2003–04 37 30 5 5 15 6 57 41
Spain League Copa del Rey Europe Total
2004–05 Barcelona La Liga 12 3 - 4 1 16 4
2005–06 28 10 - 10 1 38 11
Sweden League Svenska Cupen Europe Total
2006 Helsingborg Allsvenskan 15 8 - - 15 8
England League FA Cup Europe Total
2006–07 Manchester United Premier League 7 1 4 1 2 1 12 3
Sweden League Svenska Cupen Europe Total
2007 Helsingborg Allsvenskan 22 9 1 0 9 9 32 18
2008 27 14 2 0 27 13
Total Sweden 181 97 6 1 11 9 193 104
Netherlands 101 26 29 7 - 130 33
Scotland 221 874 38 18 49 34 299 226
Spain 40 13 - 14 2 54 15
England 7 1 4 1 2 1 12 3
Career Total 548 311 73 34 76 46 688 373

Honours

Feyenoord

Celtic

Barcelona

Helsingborgs

Manchester United

Individual

Orders and special awards

Floorball career

Larsson also played floorball at a competitive level in 1989. On 23 November 2008, he resumed his floorball career when he played his first Swedish Super League game, for FC Helsingborg. In his second game for the club, he made two assists, and was voted man of the match.[22][23]

References

  1. ↑ "1993-94: FEYENOORD AND THE 1994 WORLD CUP". Icons. Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
  2. ↑ Jinky best-ever Celtic player BBC Sport, 2002-09-09. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
  3. ↑ Graham Clark, Larsson's return is unhappy for Celtic, Guardian Unlimited, September 15, 2004
  4. ↑ David Mccarthy, RONNIE: BARCA PAL LARSSON IS MY IDOL, DailyRecord, 26 April 2006
  5. ↑ Bailey, Graeme. "Henry questions referee".
  6. ↑ Jon Brodkin, Larsson takes his leave in the grandest style, Guardian Unlimited, 18 May 2006
  7. ↑ Simon Baskett, Barca inherit 'dream team' mantle, Reuters, 18 May 2006
  8. ↑ "Man Utd capture Larsson on loan", BBC Sport (2006-12-01). Retrieved on 2007-06-10. 
  9. ↑ "Man Utd 2-1 Aston Villa", BBC Sport (2007-01-07). Retrieved on 2007-06-10. 
  10. ↑ "Man Utd 4-0 Watford", BBC Sport (2007-01-31). Retrieved on 2007-06-10. 
  11. ↑ "Man Utd 1-0 Lille", BBC Sport (2007-03-07). Retrieved on 2007-06-10. 
  12. ↑ "Larsson snubs Man Utd extension", BBC Sport (2007-02-20). Retrieved on 2007-06-10. 
  13. ↑ http://www.stretfordend.co.uk/playermenu/larsson.html
  14. ↑ "Larsson rejects Sweden calls". BBC Sport (2004-03-02). Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
  15. ↑ "Larsson ends international career". BBC Sport (2006-07-17). Retrieved on 2007-02-20..
  16. ↑ "Larsson returns for Sweden again". BBC (2008-05-14). Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
  17. ↑ "Henrik Larsson kapten mot Frankrike" (in Swedish). Fotbollsexpressen.se (2008-08-18). Retrieved on 2008-08-19.
  18. ↑ Larsson wins "Tidernas Guldboll" Svenskfotboll.se, 2005-11-14.
  19. ↑ SPL - All Time Records | Scottish Premier League | Statistics | Records
  20. ↑ "Dr. Henrik Larsson", University of Strathclyde (2005-05-14). Retrieved on 2008-05-03. 
  21. ↑ "Striker Larsson to be given MBE", BBC News (2006-04-26). Retrieved on 2007-06-10. 
  22. ↑ "Här får Henke Larsson debutera" (in Swedish), Aftonbladet (23 November 2008). Retrieved on 2008-11-23. 
  23. ↑ "Success for Henrik Larsson in floorball debut" (in English), The Local (24 November 2008). Retrieved on 2008-11-24. 

External links

Helsingborgs IF – current squad

1 D.Andersson • 2 Chansa • 3 Tamboura • 4 Landgren • 5 Patronen • 6 Beloufa • 7 Holmqvist • 8 Svanback • 10 M.Lantz • 11 Kienast • 13 Skulason • 16 Makondele • 17 H.Larsson • 18 Unkuri • 19 Kolář • 21 C.Andersson • 22 Berglund • 23 Wahlstedt • 24 Marcus Nilsson • 25 Ronningberg • 26 Ekstrand • 27 SSerumaga • 29 Jonsson • 33 Bergholtz • 35 Nilsson • Manager: Bo Nilsson
Persondata
NAME Larsson, Henrik Edward
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Swedish footballer
DATE OF BIRTH 20 September 1971
PLACE OF BIRTH Helsingborg, Skåne, Sweden)
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH