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Definition
You got to hand it to Henrik, his influence has been so great that even though he has long left us, the fans seem to be unable to escape his aura.
The only negative has been that it has been common for long winded arguments to end with a comparison to Larsson.
It’s a humorous liberty taken on the itself humorous internet ‘Godwin’s Law‘ which states that every debate always seems to end up with a reference to Nazi Germany as some sort of last resort for a debater who is losing the argument.
With the case of ‘Henrik’s Law‘ it’s little different, but all tongue in cheek, and an indication of the obsession that Celtic fans have with him.
Another way to think of it is like if you’re stuck in a quandary, then just ask yourself “What would Henrik do?“. Magically, you should then have the answer straight away according to the most zealous Celtic supporter.
Using this method in a way, it even won two contestants on BBC’s ‘Pointless‘ quiz show the grand prize (see below article).
Below are some of the examples of ‘Henrik’s Law‘ from over the seasons which many of us have experienced in one form or another. Possibly it’s a further indication of his impact that we can never forget him. Enjoy.
| Action by Player |
Typical Response as per Henrik’s Law |
| Player has a good game | Not as good as Henrik. |
| Player has a bad game | He’s no Henrik, that’s for sure. |
| Scores good goal | It wasn’t as good as that one Henrik scored. |
| Scores crap goal | Even Henrik scored the odd scrappy goal, they all count. |
| Misses a goal | Henrik would have got that. |
| Missed penalty | Even Henrik missed some penalties. |
| Spending too little | Henrik only cost us a few hundred thousand. |
| Spending too much | We got Henrik for much cheaper than that. |
| Player has a bad debut | Henrik had a bad debut. |
| Player has a good debut | He’ll never be as good as Henrik though. |
| Player wants to leave too soon | Henrik stayed here and still had a good career afterwards. |
| Player wants to stay | He’s just like Henrik, he’s fallen in love with the place. |
| Player expresses joy to be at Celtic | Henrik loved the club more than anyone else did. |
| Player gets injured & recovery is slow | Henrik broke his leg in a match and came back stronger. |
Anecdote
The most incredible example of Henrik’s Law in practise occurred in January 2017.
On the popular teatime BBC quiz show ‘Pointless’, two English ladies faced the daunting task of answering the final question in the final challenge requiring a ‘pointless’ answer.
Given a football related question, of naming a Euro 2000 goalscorer, the two ladies gave ‘Henrik Larsson’ as a possible ‘pointless’ answer. They plumped for it…. AND WON!
The lades questioned were amazed, and when one was asked for her reasoning behind the choice of answer, she replied that her boyfriend (‘Alex’) was a big Celtic fan and told her that if she was asked any football related questions then she should just pick Larsson as he has played with Celtic, Man U, Barca etc and can’t go wrong with it.
She followed his advice, it worked and she and her friend walked away with around £2250!
The show comperes described it as the greatest victory they’d seen.
So Henrik’s Law has been proven to work and is not just a theory. Incredible!
Pointless contestant wins jackpot thanks to boyfriend’s Henrik Larsson tip
Caroline Westbrook for Metro.co.uk
Thursday 12 Jan 2017 10:25 am
Pointless contestant wins jackpot thanks to boyfriend’s football question tip
Tasha and Jo scooped the jackpot on Pointless – after Tasha’s boyfriend told her to answer Henrik Larsson to any football question (Picture: BBC)
We’ve seen some pretty impressive Pointless jackpot wins in the past – but this might be one of our favourite so far.
The moment in question occurred on Wednesday’s edition of the show, as contestants Tasha and Jo walked away with a £2,250 prize – all thanks to a tip that Tasha had been given by her boyfriend?
That tip? If a football question comes up, then answer Henrik Larsson.
Is this the best Pointless jackpot win ever?
And sure enough, that advice stood the pair in very good stead when faced with a final round about the year 2000 – which asked them to name a Brit Awards winner, a member of the Snatch cast or a Euro 2000 goalscorer.
Initially Tasha suggested that Henrik Larsson was least likely to be a Pointless answer – but ultimately she chose it anyway. Only for this to happen:
pointless-Larsson
Now that was a pretty awesome guess – given that the Swedish-born player did indeed score a goal at Euro 2000 – during Sweden’s 2-1 defeat against Italy.
Afterwards, as the pair celebrated their win, Tasha explained that it had been her partner Alex who had given her the tip about the footballer.
Pointless contestant wins jackpot thanks to boyfriend’s football question tip
The pair couldn’t believe it when the answer was correct (Picture: BBC)
‘My boyfriend Alex is a massive Celtic supporter and he knows I’m rubbish with names and things like that.
‘So he said anything football related-he’s played for Man U and he’s played for Barcelona I think – he said “go for Henrik Larsson”.’
Sound advice.