27 years ago this very week a young Swedish striker signed for the club for a sum of £650,000 from Feyenoord. That man was Henrik Larsson…
Although a striker with international experience, indeed he helped his nation finish 3rd place in the USA World Cup two years previously, he was still relatively unknown to the Celtic supporters.
Things didn’t get off to the best of starts
Enticed to Glasgow by former mentor Wim Jansen who used his inside knowledge of Henrik’s contract details to snap him up for a low fee, Henrik was one of several signings brought to the club in a campaign that was of severe importance to the club and supporters due to the importance of stopping the dreaded ‘ten’
Things didn’t get off to the best of starts for both Henrik and the team. One of Henrik’s first acts as a Celtic player was to gift possession to Chic Charnley of Hibs who scored a goal that condemned us to an opening day defeat at Easter road. He was written off instantly. Thank heavens that social media wasn’t a thing back then.
The next game was also a disaster
The next game was also a disaster and we went down 1-2 at home to Dunfermline. Henrik would score his first league goal in a game at McDiarmid Park against St Johnstone the following week and from then both player and club didn’t look back.
Led by Wim Jansen the team stopped the dreaded ‘ten’ and recorded the clubs first title in ten long years, with a league cup thrown in for good measure. Henrik finished the season with 19 goals in all competitions and contributed greatly to our historic title win.
The following season he flourished under the guidance of Dr Jo Venglos and scored an impressive 38 goals in 48 games, but it wasn’t just his goals it was his all round game that went up a level under the Slovakian.
Henrik’s fortunes took a turn for the worse the following season under the leadership of John Barnes when he suffered a horrendous broken leg in a UEFA cup tie in Lyon. An injury that would Keep him out until the last game of the campaign.
After starring for Sweden in Euro 2000, Henrik arrived back in Glasgow fit and raring to go under his fifth manager in just his fourth season if you count Kenny Dalglish.
Martin O’Neill was the man now in charge and he changed the clubs fortunes, while taking Henrik to a completely new level.
Henrik scored an impressive 53 goals in just 50 games
In the Irishman’s first season in charge the club won its first treble in 31 years with Henrik scoring an impressive 53 goals in just 50 games as he formed a formidable partnership alongside Chris Sutton.
For the next four years Henrik would strike fear into the hearts of defenders not just in Scotland but the whole of Europe. He was the complete player and undoubtedly the last world class player to have played in this country. Henrik could have played for any side in Europe, but choose to stay at Celtic, and for that we will be forever grateful.
Tears from Henrik
When he left, there were tears from Henrik and the supporters alike, but he left a legend. His 242 goals in 313 games make him the third highest goalscorer in the clubs history with only the legendary Bobby Lennox and the great Jimmy McGrory ahead of him.
The fact he done that in only seven years is impressive, and we won’t see a player like him grace the hoops in our lifetime, that’s for sure. He arrived a prince but left a King, the King of Kings, Henrik Larsson. Here’s why…
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
Very hard to get such signings of such qualities in this day and age, with the money factors involved these days?
Matt Oreily, is possibly very close to becoming our most valuable signing of all time?
Even with the possibility of becoming our most profitable also, even surpassing Tierney?
Yet, I doubt that no one, will ever give ourselves the best value for money that Henrick provided for ourselves imo?
No wonder he should remain the king of kings within our club, and hard to see larsson ever losing his crown either imo?