Henrik Larsson: Make or break
I started following football passionately in the 2001/2002 season, and my first time watching Henrik Larsson was during the Sweden versus Nigeria game at the 2002 World Cup. Following the opening game defeat to Argentina, I was so keen to watch Nigeria get a better result that I skipped school by pretending to be sick (first and last time). Larsson scored 2 goals and Nigeria lost 2-1, which confirmed our elimination from the tournament. This wasn’t the last time Larsson hurt a team I supported, but I always admired him.
Henrik Larsson was born in 1971 in Helsingborg, Sweden, to a Cape Verdean father and Swedish mother. Following their split when Larsson was 12, they decided their son should adopt his mother’s maiden name to help him fit into a majority white city and country.
He began his youth career at Högaborg aged 6, then went on to play for their senior team while still at school aged 17. Even after graduating a year later, he was also working at a fruit packing warehouse while playing for Högaborg. He joined Helsingborg in 1992 and was instrumental in helping them secure promotion to the Swedish top division after 24 years in the lower divisions, scoring 34 goals in his debut season. In his first season in the Swedish top division, he scored 16 goals and gained the attention of Feyenoord before joining them in 1993. Larsson had started making a name for himself on the international scene, and his first appearance for the Sweden U21 team came in a 2-0 win against Poland in 1992. In an interview with UEFA, he spoke about the significance of gathering experience and how it teaches you what it's all about being a senior player at the bigger tournaments such as the Euro or World Cup. It wasn’t long before Larsson got his chance, scoring in his first senior appearance in the 1993 World Cup qualifier win versus neighbouring Finland. Although he didn’t start every game at the 1994 World Cup, he contributed by scoring in the quarter final penalty shoot out against Romania and got his first World Cup goal in the third-place playoff win against Bulgaria.
Despite winning two Dutch Cup winner’s medals at Feyenoord, his time there could have been better. He was impacted by staff changes which affected how he was utilised and also his personal development. What I relate to here is how your environment can have an impact on your growth, and sometimes all you need is a change of scenery. Larsson’s former manager at Feyenoord; Wim Jansen, recognised his potential and reignited their relationship by signing him for £650,000 to Celtic in 1997.
His success In Scotland could have been blighted by the horrific leg break he sustained in a UEFA Cup match against Lyon in 1999.
Larsson’s Celtic career didn’t get off to a good start, coming on as a substitute against Hibernian, and giving away possession which led to a goal that lost them the game and invited criticism from the Scottish media. He turned things around, and by the end of the season he was Celtic’s top scorer and instrumental in winning them their first league title in a decade.
His injury two seasons after joining Celtic made him fear his career was over, and led to a very low point in his life. It also gave him more determination to achieve as much as he could on his return, and is an approach to life situations we can all learn from. His next game didn’t come until the end of the season. The rest of his Celtic career following his return, earned him the right to be called the king of kings by the Celtic faithful.
In the 2000/2001 season in which Celtic claimed the domestic treble, Larsson scored 35 goals and won the European Golden Shoe award. He was the Scottish top division’s top scorer till he left Celtic in 2004, winning the award for five of the six seasons he competed. His goal tally of 242 goals in 315 games made him the third highest goalscorer in Celtic’s history. He also led them to their first European final in 33 years in 2003, a game he scored both goals in a 3-2 loss to Jose Mourinho’s Porto.
His last competitive game for Celtic was in a 3-1 victory against Dunfermline to lift the Scottish Cup, scoring two goals which earned him the man of the match. He ended his Celtic career winning 4 Scottish Premier League titles, 2 Scottish Cups and 2 Scottish League Cups before taking on a new challenge.
After joining Barcelona in the summer of 2004, as fate would have it, they were drawn in the same group as Celtic. He scored Barcelona’s third goal of the night and chose not to celebrate as a sign of respect to his former team. A trait one can admire in terms of being grateful to those who once helped you, and something Larsson didn’t forget in this case.
As an Arsenal fan, I remember what impact Larsson had in the 2006 Champions league final which was the second time he hurt a team I supported. With Barcelona down 1-0 to a 10-man Arsenal, Larsson came off the bench and provided both assists which earned them the win. Thierry Henry was full of praise for him after the game, saying Larsson made the difference and not the other Barcelona stars one might have expected.
During his return to Helsingborg, he had a brief 10 week spell at Manchester United, where he scored a debut goal and received praise from the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson about his professionalism and attitude.
Larsson, also known as Henke, announced his retirement in 2009 at Helsingborg and now has a statue of him in his hometown. He played in 3 competitive games for Hogaborg and Råå IF since his initial retirement, with the last being in 2013.
For a player who achieved so much after recovering from a serious injury, Henrik Larsson’s make or break story shows the possibilities of what we can achieve with the right attitude and experience.