Henrik Larsson

This article is about the Swedish footballer. For the sprinter, see Henrik Larsson (sprinter). For the Danish footballer, see Henrik Larsen. For the Swedish pool player, see Henrik Larsson (pool player).

Henrik Larsson
Larsson in 2014
Personal information
Full name Edward Henrik Larsson
Date of birth (1971-09-20) 20 September 1971 (age 53)
Place of birth Helsingborg, Sweden
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1977–1988 Högaborgs BK
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989–1991 Högaborgs BK 64 (23)
1992–1993 Helsingborgs IF 56 (51)
1993–1997 Feyenoord 101 (26)
1997–2004 Celtic 221 (174)
2004–2006 Barcelona 40 (13)
2006–2009 Helsingborgs IF 84 (38)
2007 → Manchester United (loan) 7 (1)
2012 Råå IF 1 (0)
2013 Högaborgs BK 1 (0)
Total 575 (325)
International career
1992–1993 Sweden U21 12[2] (4[2])
1997 Sweden B 1 (0)
1993–2009 Sweden 106 (37)
Managerial career
2010–2012 Landskrona BoIS
2014 Falkenbergs FF
2015–2016 Helsingborgs IF
2019 Helsingborgs IF
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Sweden
FIFA World Cup
Third place 1994 United States
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Edward Henrik Larsson (born 20 September 1971) is a Swedish professional football coach and former player. Playing as a striker, Larsson began his career with Högaborgs BK. In 1992, he moved to Helsingborg IF where in his first season his partnership up front with Mats Magnusson helped the club win promotion to Allsvenskan after 24 seasons in the lower tiers. He moved to Feyenoord in November 1993, staying for four years before leaving in 1997 to join Scottish Premiership club Celtic. During his time in the Dutch Eredivisie, he won two KNVB Cups with Feyenoord. He also broke into the Sweden national team, and helped them finish in third place at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

Often regarded as the greatest foreign import in Scottish football history,[3] Wim Jansen signed Larsson for Scottish club Celtic in July 1997 for a fee of £650,000. In his first season at the club, he played a crucial role in Celtic winning their first league title in ten years. He suffered a broken leg in a UEFA Cup tie against Lyon in 1999. Larsson came back, scoring 53 goals in a 2000–01 season that saw him win the European Golden Shoe. Larsson won four league titles in his seven years at Celtic. He also helped the team reach the 2003 UEFA Cup final against Porto, scoring both goals in a 3–2 defeat in extra time. His 242 goals in 313 matches saw Celtic fans nickname him The King of Kings. Larsson joined Barcelona in 2004, where he won two league titles and the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, providing the assists for both goals in the final. Following the expiration of his contract at Barcelona, Larsson returned to Helsingborg, although he also had a brief spell on loan at Manchester United in early 2007. He announced his retirement from football on 20 October 2009.[4]

Larsson played for Sweden in three FIFA World Cups and three UEFA European Championships, winning a bronze medal at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and is a former captain of the national team. He ended his international career with 37 goals in 106 matches. He also won the Golden Ball (Guldbollen), the annual Award for best Swedish footballer twice, first in 1998 and again in 2004, while in 2003 he was named the Greatest Swedish Footballer of the Last 50 Years as part of the UEFA Jubilee Awards. He is also the second all-time leading goalscorer in the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League.[5]

In 2010, Larsson began his career as a manager at the Superettan club Landskrona BoIS, where he stayed for three seasons. He later managed Falkenberg in Allsvenskan, and he took over at Helsingborg in 2015, where his son, Jordan, was one of his players. Helsingborg were relegated to Superettan in 2016 and Larsson left the club. Three years later he made a brief return in the same role at the club.[6] He served Barcelona as assistant to Ronald Koeman from August 2020 until October 2021.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference PremProfile was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Henrik Larsson – Spelarstatistik". Swedish Football Association (in Swedish). Retrieved 4 November 2023.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ "10 Greatest Foreign Imports to Play in the SPL". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Celtic legend Larsson to retire from football". STV Sport. 20 October 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  5. ^ "UEFA Europa League all-time top scorers". UEFA. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  6. ^ "För stort tryck mot honom och familjen". Kvällsposten (in Swedish). 23 August 2019. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.