Henrik Larsson’s debut for Celtic against Hibernian in August 1997 was conspicuous for all the wrong reasons. With his dreadlocks dancing, the Swede had put in an energetic 15 minutes as a 59th-minute substitute when his sloppy pass sent Hibs’s Chic Charnley clear to score the winner. Celtic lost 2-1 and the discontent among the travelling supporters at Easter Road was audible: we paid £650 000 for this?
Seven years and 242 goals later Celtic fans prepare to say farewell to their ‘king of kingsâ€. There were no dissenting voices in a sell-out crowd of 67 000 at Parkhead on Tuesday for the testimonial against Sevilla, Larsson’s final appearance in a Celtic shirt.
Larsson represents one of the best pieces of business ever made in football and those 242 goals in 315 games make him one of the best strikers, perhaps the best, to have played in Scotland. He is also the most popular Scandinavian ever to have played in British football.
It was Larsson’s third farewell in two weeks, which is plenty for any footballer, but it still does not seem enough for a player of his stature. On Saturday, there was the Scottish Cup final at Hampden, while the send-off started the weekend before with his last competitive game at Parkhead as Celtic beat Dundee United 2-1 in front of 58 000.
Predictably, the 32-year-old striker scored two goals in the last 10 minutes to win the game. Unpredictably, he cried on the field. Then in the press conference afterwards he broke down again after 30 seconds and had to leave the room. The normally restrained Swede was unable to hold back the tears as he admitted that leaving Scotland and Celtic, with whom he has fallen in love, will be heartbreaking.
‘My whole career here has been brilliant. We’ve had our ups and downs, but the last four years have been tremendous,†he said.
‘Very soon after I came to Celtic I realised how special the supporters are and they have been a big part of everything that has happened to me. I want them all to know their support has meant a great deal and is something I will never forget.â€
The feeling is mutual. The fans adore him and Tommy Burns, who played for Celtic for 18 years and has followed the club for 40 years, does not think Celtic will ever see anything like Larsson again.
‘I am too young to have seen historic figures like Jimmy McGrory and Patsy Gallacher, but after watching Celtic for the last 40 years I can’t think of anyone to rival Henrik,†Burns told the Daily Record.
Burns’s comments put Larsson’s achievements in perspective as the past 40 years have seen one Celtic vintage win the Scottish league title nine years in a row and win the European Cup, while players such as Jimmy Johnstone, Kenny Dalglish, Paul McStay and Charlie Nicholas have also made their mark on the club.
No one, however, seems to have made the same impression as Larsson. Celtic midfielder Neil Lennon believes that it will be impossible to replace him, while the manager, Martin O’Neill, used the word ‘sensational†at least five times in one sentence when asked about Larsson’s contribution.
Johan Mjalby, his compatriot and Celtic teammate, says: ‘I can’t think of anyone who has had such an impact on a club apart from maybe [Diego] Maradona in Napoli.â€
Larsson has collected four league medals, two League Cups, one Scottish Cup and scored twice in last season’s Uefa Cup final, which Celtic lost 3-2 to Porto. He won the European Golden Boot in 2002 after scoring a mind-boggling 53 goals. He is without a shadow of a doubt the most influential foreigner to have played in Scotland, with only Brian Laudrup for Rangers coming even close to rivalling him.
And, in contrast to other imports, Larsson has enjoyed living in Scotland and Glasgow from the moment he touched down.
‘When I flew into Scotland the first time I was too excited to eat, too excited to read,†he once said of his flight from Rotterdam after joining from Feyenoord. ‘I knew this was my chance and below me there was this pretty landscape with small lakes scattered around and a hilly landscape glowing in the sun.â€
He obviously hadn’t reached Glasgow yet, but his love for the country and its people has increased rather than diminished during his years with Celtic. —