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1) Quotes by Larsson himself
“You don’t want to walk in another man’s footsteps, you want to create your own.”
Henrik Larsson (2004)
“It is a nice club. I heard a lot of good things about the club and also the trainer [Wim Jansen]. That’s why I chose Celtic. I think it is a very good move for me. I’ve been long enough in Holland, so I had to try something new. Celtic looks like a very good club, so I think it is going to do good for my development as a player and as a human being. I know about the rivalry between the two clubs; it is known worldwide. I will play my best here and I hope the team will play very good, then we have a chance to prevent them [winning 10 titles in a row].”
Henrik Larsson in his first interview after signing for Celtic
“This is the club for me. This is where I made myself as a player, this is where everybody got to know me and this is the club that I will be eternally grateful to for giving me that opportunity when maybe other clubs didn’t believe in me. This is where I got back into the Swedish national team an went on to play in European Championships and World Cups for Sweden. I couldn’t have done that without Celtic.”
Henrik Larsson On Celtic in the Herald newspaper (25th May 2008)
“You might be good but you still have to prove it again, and I don’t think a lot of people knew me and knew who I was. Wim knew who I was and what he could get out of me, and I am just happy that he brought me here.”
Henrik Larsson on Wim Jansen (the Celtic manager who brought him to Celtic)
“I loved being at Barcelona and will be forever grateful for all the affection and support I was given there. The same goes for Celtic and nobody should have to ask what Celtic means to me.”
Henrik Larsson on Celtic (Dec 06)
Caller: “Henrik, now that you have played for Celtic, Manchester United and Barcelona. Which club would you pick to play for if you had to start your career again?”
Henrik Larsson: “Celtic, it is where I made my name and it is the club I was at for seven years.”
Henrik Larsson (Apr 07)
‘They should learn a lesson. Never talk untill the game is finished.’
Larsson on Blackburn after the second leg, 2003. Celtic won 2-0
‘Yeh, I’d say we played sh*t in the first game up at Parkhead. We wanted to show today that we were a better side than a lot of comments we heard from different Blackburn players. It should learn them a lesson, never talk until the game is finished.’
Larsson on Blackburn after the second leg, 2003. Celtic won 2-0
‘I don’t see anything postive about my performance in the final. Scoring two goals in a final doesn’t mean anything if you lose. All I wanted was for Celtic to win the cup.’
Henrik Larsson speaking after Seville, 2003
“Before a game, I always tell myself that it will hurt and it should hurt. I know I am bloody strong, stronger than them.”
Henrik Larsson
‘I’m not Di Canio, I’m Henrik Larsson and I am going to try to make my own mark on the football team’.
Henrik Larsson
“It’s unbelievable. It you haven’t gone to Celtic Park – go there, please, because it’s an experience that you won’t get anywhere else,” he told Talk Sport radio this morning. The supporters are fantastic, especially on the European nights when you play because those are the biggest nights, and everybody comes out for the team and really helps the team. I don’t think the Celtic team would have had the energy to keep going for 90+ minutes if it wasn’t for the supporters.”
Henrik Larsson (Nov 2012)
“I would have swapped a lot of what I achieved for Celtic just to win in Seville.”
Henrik Larsson
“Moving to Glasgow from Feyenoord was a life-changing experience”
Henrik Larsson
“I was there for such a long time that you get to know the history, what it means to people.”
Henrik Larsson
“What others expect from me is not as important as what I expect from myself.”
Henrik Larsson
“I think the day you underestimate the importance of the job at Celtic Football Club, that’s the day when you fail. I’ve seen a few coaches doing that”
Henrik Larsson
“The dreadlocks were easy to maintain: I got up in the morning and flicked my head. If they got too big, I’d pull them apart every now and again. In the end, I got too old for them”
Henrik Larsson
“For seven years at Celtic Park they played the theme song of ‘The Magnificent Seven’ after every goal I scored. This time it was dead quiet, some spectators even whistled. I would have liked to have sunk into the ground. I owe everything to Celtic. The club paid for my house, made me financially independent and made me the person I am today. I loved the Celtic fans and yet that night I stabbed them in the heart with my goal. But at that moment I was a player for FC Barcelona.”
Henrik Larsson (July 2022, link)
“The career I had at Celtic, the amount of goals and assists and the relationship with the fans and the club, I can’t regret that. That’s something I’m going to cherish as long as I live.”
Henrik Larsson
“I didn’t have a clue how big a club Celtic were when I joined.”
Henrik Larsson
“There would have been no Barcelona, and a lot of other things besides, for me if I hadn’t signed for Celtic”
Henrik Larsson
“I don’t mind players earning money, but it should mean, at the same time, that the club is doing good.”
Henrik Larsson
“I think, as long as I’m in this line of work, I’m always going to be mentioned when Celtic are looking for a new manager.”
Henrik Larsson
2) Quotes by others on Larsson
”You only get monkeys when you spend peanuts”
Derek Johnstone on the signing of Henrik Larsson
“The supreme irony for Celtic came when their ace card turned out to be a joker, Henrik Larsson.”
The Scotsman newspaper on Larsson in his Celtic debut, Hibs 2-1 Celtic 1997
“When he came to Barcelona, Henrik said nice things about me but by the time he left he was my idol,” said Ronaldinho. “In fact, he was my idol even before that. I remember him playing for Sweden in the 1994 World Cup. Henrik taught me a lot about football and I learned even more from him as a person. I was disappointed that he left for Sweden because I would have loved to have played with him for longer. Now United will benefit from his experience and knowledge. They are incredibly lucky. He is still in incredibly good shape and could carry on playing at the highest level for a long time.”
Ronaldinho (Brazil/Barcelona) on Henrik Larsson, Jan 2007
Larsson’s talents have quickly come to the fore throughout his career. At Celtic, he scored 242 times in 315 appearances in all competitions; for Sweden, he has 36 goals in 93 games; at Barcelona, the club legend Julio Salinas, writing in El Mundo Deportivo, awarded him 10 out of 10 for his performances last season, higher than any other player, including Ronaldinho.
“He had an incredible season,” Salinas said last night. “I had no option but to give him 10 out of 10. He always went about his job in the right way. He spent time on the bench but never once did he moan. His whole demeanour was admirable and when he was given his chance he took it. I can only be impressed by Larsson as a person and a player. He is 35 but he runs around like a 20-year-old. It was a shame he did not stay as he still has a lot to give at the highest level.”
From the Guardian Jan 2007
“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. He is a real friend and that is a pleasure. I just want to enjoy the remaining time he has with us rather than dwell on what we will be missing when he’s gone. I haven’t tried to convince Henrik to stay at Barcelona. I respect him so much that I can’t try to influence his decision. It’s something he has thought about for a long time. I’m not happy he’s leaving but I’m not going to pressure him at all. At Henrik’s age many players announce their retirement from international football but no one I know his age is at the great physical level Henrik is at right now. He could play at the highest level for a long time.”
In April 2006 team mate Ronaldinho on Larsson’s upcoming departure
“People always talk about Ronaldinho, and everything but I didn’t see him today – I saw Henrik Larsson. Two times 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 ”
Thierry Henry pays tribute to Larsson’s contribution to Barcelona’s winning the European Cup Final game in 2006 against his own brave Arsenal side after they had led the match for much of the match with only ten men on the field.
“We all know Henrik is a quality player. I have said before I think he is the best Scandinavian player since Michael Laudrup – and he has shown that in training and games.
“His touch is something we can all learn from.
“You never stop learning as a player and Henrik has done a few tricks in training that have had us all standing up and looking and saying ‘we have not seen that before’.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Man Utd and Norway intl Striker)
Feb 2007
“If I ever have a tiger, I’ll set it on Larsson”
Chick Young (Scottish journalist)
“Over my career I have played against some of the best strikers there has ever been. Both Ronaldos, Roberto Baggio, Zlatan Ibrahimovic – and I can honestly say Larsson is not out of place in those names. I faced him against Celtic and Sweden and he was a player to fear, he was very special. Celtic got his best years and I am sure the fans will always remember how fantastic it was to have one of the best players in the world for so many seasons.”
Luigi Buffon (Italian National team goalkeeper) (2015)
“Henrik used to talk about Celtic & it’s easy to see why. He could’ve played at any club but I can see why he didn’t want to leave.”
Barcelona legend Xavi
“Henrik taught me how to become invisible, how to make other players forget about me.”
Samuel Eto’o
“I’ve faced many great strikers, but the toughest one was when I was 17 and playing against a great Celtic team. On the other side was Larsson and Hartson, which was just an unbelievable strike force.”
Vincent Kompany (2019)
“When you met Celtic fans, as long as you wore this shirt, you were loved. I’ve never seen love like it. I remember going for lunch with Henrik Larsson and it was literally like walking along the road with Elvis Presley.”
Ian Wright in a look back on his career (2020)