Yesterday, marked the 25 anniversary of the King of Kings Swedish hit man Henrik Larsson signing for Celtic, in 1997 with his record of 242 goals in 315 games he is arguably Celtic’s best ever striker and surely the best foreign player to ever grace Scottish football.
I thought about writing this article not only to celebrate the brilliance of the man, but also to highlight that he was the first player with his skill and ability for scoring exactly when needed and his trademark celebration that truly made me fall in love with football in general.
My first memory of going to Paradise along with my Dad is seeing Henrik score two in a 3-0 victory.
The highlights of his incredible seven years at Celtic are endless, from his ten stopping goal on the final day of season 97 98, to his talismanic display both on the way to, and in, the UEFA Cup Final in Seville to his iconic run and chip against Rangers voted by Celtic fans as the goal of the century.
Even away from Parkhead his status in the annuls of football history are perhaps best secured with his game winning sub appearance in the Champions League Final for F.C Barcelona.
Although, it may have been 18 years since he last pulled on a green and white jersey, his memory will live long in the memory of anyone who was lucky enough to see not just the king, but the King of Kings.
Call yourself a true Celtic fan? How well do you know the European Cup winning season? Take the quiz and challenge your friends and family to beat your score.
Jimmy McGrory is Celtic’s greatest ever goalscorer he scored 550 goals in all competions for the club so as good as Henrik was he can’t be considered in the same breath. I know there’s an argument to say the football wasn’t of the same standard then but that’s a phenomenal scoring record at any time in the history of our club. I loved Henrik as a player and I’ve only seen grainy film of Mr McGrory but his achievements can’t be downplayed as he was a remarkable player and man by all accounts I’ve read on our club’s history. We were blessed to have some wonderful exponents of the game come through our wonderful football club and comparisons probably do a disservice to the era they played in and I’m just glad they graced the game and brought success on the pitch and gave our supporters some special, special days.