2 National team caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2008.
|
||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Henrik Edward Larsson | |
| Date of birth | 20 September 1971 | |
| Place of birth | Helsingborg, Sweden | |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Helsingborg | |
| Number | 17 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1977–1988 | Högaborg | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1988–1992 | Högaborg | 74 (23) |
| 1992–1993 | Helsingborg | 56 (50) |
| 1993–1997 | Feyenoord | 101 (26) |
| 1997–2004 | Celtic | 221 (174) |
| 2004–2006 | Barcelona | 40 (13) |
| 2006– | Helsingborg | 65 (32) |
| 2007 | → Manchester United (loan) | 7 (1) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1993– | Sweden | 102 (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. |
||
Henrik Edward Larsson (pronounced [ˈhɛnrɪk ˈlɑːʂɔn]; MBE, born 20 September 1971 in Helsingborg, Scania, Sweden) is a professional association football player. Larsson won four titles in seven years with Celtic before moving to 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 |
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]
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 inauspicious. Larsson, only just on as a late substitute, inadvertently passed the ball to Hibs player, Chic Charnley who then went on to score, resulting in a 2–1 defeat 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 against FC Tirol Innsbruck. 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'. His performances improved markedly and Celtic went on to win the Premier Division 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, only returning on the last day of the 1999–00 season. John Barnes cited Larsson's injury as being a "big factor" in why he was sacked by Celtic after only months in the position.[2]
Following the arrival of manager Martin O'Neill in the summer of 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. Although this was his most prolific season, Larsson was a consistent goalscorer. He was the top goalscorer in the Scottish Premier League for five of the six seasons that he competed in. The only exception being the 1999–00 season, which Larsson missed most of due to the injury suffered in Lyon.
Larsson was also a consistent goalscorer in international competition. He scored two goals in the 2003 UEFA Cup Final, although opponents FC Porto went on to win 3–2. Larsson holds the record for most number of goals scored for a club from the British Isles in European matches.
In his last competitive appearance for Celtic, he scored two goals (with either foot) to defeat Dunfermline Athletic and win the 2004 Scottish Cup Final. 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. Celtic fans selected Larsson (the only player from outside Scotland) in the greatest ever Celtic team, when a vote was held in 2002.[3] In 2008, Larsson returned to Celtic Park for the Phil O'Donnell tribute match, and he scored with a scissors kick.
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."[4]
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."[5]
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."[6] Indeed his ability to give Barcelona the cutting edge required to overcome Arsenal was noted by the international press:[7][8]
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.
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.[9] He scored on his debut against Aston Villa in the FA Cup Third Round on 7 January 2007 at Old Trafford.[10] Larsson scored his first ever Premier League goal on 31 January in a 4–0 win over Watford.[11] 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.[12]
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.[13] Despite this, Sir Alex Ferguson was full of praise for the striker, who scored three goals in 13[14] 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.
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).[15] 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.
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 with the score at 2-0 to Germany.
He retired from international football for the second time on 17 July 2006.[16] "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.[17]
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[18] on 20 August 2008.
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 Larsson (born 1997) and Janelle Larsson(born 2002).
Henrik still occasionally returns to Scotland to visit his long-time conditioning coach Dr Paul Bryson and to watch Celtic.
| 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 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 16 | ||||
| Total | Sweden | 181 | 97 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 193 | 104 | |
| Netherlands | 101 | 26 | 29 | 7 | - | 130 | 33 | |||
| Scotland | 221 | 174 | 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 | ||
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.[23][24]
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Henrik Larsson |
|
|||||
| 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 | |
