On This Day: Henrik Larsson signs off with two goals vs Dundee United

On This Day in 2004, Celtic said goodbye to Henrik Larsson as the King of Kings ended his seven year stay in Paradise. The Swede bowed out with a brace as Martin O’Neill’s side celebrated Larsson’s final home appearance. It would be a fitting end as it was the brilliance of the striker, who made the difference as Celtic warmed up for the Cup Final against Dunfermline.

Larsson was full of emotion as he netted twice, with Mark Wilson pulling one back for the Arabs. He should even more emotion in his interview at full-time, which probably mirrored the Celtic support, who were bidding farewell to a legend.

In his time at Celtic, Larsson scored 242 goals going from stopping the ten in 1998 before bowing out as a Scottish Champion. They don’t make many like Henrik these days. Despite his stature, he could jump well above central defenders and a nip of pace to take him beyond many a defender.

Despite the riches that a player of his class could have demanded south of the border, Larsson stayed loyal to Celtic as he and his family were settled. He proved that he was different class in his final match for Barcelona in 2006, when he came on as a substitute in Paris during the Champions League final and got two assists as Barca came from behind to beat Arsenal.

About Author

Born just as Celtic were stopping the Ten, Lubo98 follows Celtic home and away and helps run his local Celtic Supporters Club. He goes to all the games and is a Law Graduate. Has a particular fondness for Tom Rogic among the current Celts and both Lubo and Henrik form his earliest Celtic memories.

1 Comment

  1. Jim O'Rourke on

    I was lucky enough to have seen almost every one of his games for us and he will always be held in very high esteem by everyone at Celtic. He was world class on and off the field