Former idol of Sweden and Celtic Glasgow, Henrik Larsson tells how he made FC Barcelona wait before signing up with the Blaugrana and winning the C1 in 2006.
A real star. This is the status that Henrik Larsson enjoyed at Celtic Glasgow between 1997 and 2004. The formidable Swedish striker quickly got noticed by the biggest European clubs when he played for the Scottish football giant, a qualifier shared with Glasgow Rangers. FC Barcelona was among the candidates eager to recruit. And there were many of them in 2004.
“ I received around 30 offers after announcing I was leaving Celtic, from Spain, Italy, Germany, France and something from the UAEsays the native ofHelsingborg, now 52 years old in an interview published on Sunday by The Guardian. I received a phone call from my wife, Magdalena, telling me that Barcelona were interested. “. But nothing to excite Larsson too much.
Messi in the stands
He continues the exchange with his wife: “ I was in my bubble with Sweden at Euro 2004. I told him : “Tell them they have to wait”, because I didn’t want to disrupt my preparations. She laughed and said : “I don’t think they’ll wait. » So she went directly to Spain with my agent and led the negotiations herself. » Henrik Larsson did not regret having chosen Catalonia.
With FC Barcelona, the man with 104 caps for Sweden won the 2006 Champions League. That year at the Stade de France (Saint-Denis), Barça coached by Frank Rijkaard beat Arsenal, coached by Arsène Wenger , 2-1. Henrik Larsson delivered his team’s two assists while the very young Lionel Messi was in the stands.
