I never thought he was in the top bracket. In his prime he was probably just about in the top 20 players in the world.

He was brilliant, one of the best strikers in Europe for a decade

Absolutely brilliant, shame we'll never know since he spent his best years in Scotland.

Would love to have seen him in the PL during his pomp.

Probably similar level to Harry Kane. Good player

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if Barca never had Messi coming through i reckon he wouldve started most weeks for them he was that good

he stayed with us because of how we got him back from his career threatening leg break

he near enough won us the Uefa Cup on his own in Seville

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He probably was one of the best of his generation but spending his peak years at Celtic means we never got to see for sure.

I don't think the Barcelona cameo proves anything. In that final he came on and had a decisive impact but you often see a player with fresh legs do that and you often see a wise old player (think of some of Giggs' best performances in his last couple of years) showing class and composure in high-pressure games that have gone a bit ragged.

His brief stint at United was a great story and I'm sure having him there was good for the young team's belief at a time when there could have been a wobble on the way towards reclaiming the title. However, I think some people (not the OP, as it happens) have exaggerated the importance of his Manchester stopover, just because it was such a great narrative.

I'm not a Larrson sceptic. He was a lovely player to watch and the kind of player you instinctively like. I just think staying at Celtic for so long (which is perhaps to his credit as a human being) makes it hard to put him in the very top bracket as a footballer.

why you want to leave a club that

a) win trophies and were competing at a decent level in Europe

b) that hes absolutely adored at

c) that helped him back from his career threatening injury and plucked him from obscurity at Feyenoord

I think he was definitely world class, The SPL was a lot stronger back then, let's not forget Celtic beat teams like Juventus, Barcelona and Utd during the period and reached the final of the Uefa Cup and let's be honest were unlucky to lose to Mourinhos Porto who went on to win the CL the following year.

Ghodfather

I'm sure he had valid reasons for staying at Celtic and, as I said, it reflects well on him that he showed loyalty when I'm sure he had opportunities to earn more and have a greater chance at European glory elsewhere. All I'd say (and I think it's hardly controversial) is that he could have performed / been tested on a higher platform and this knowledge has to inform our assessment of his place among elite players.

comment by Ghodfather Donati #1 (U9390)
posted 2 minutes ago
why you want to leave a club that

a) win trophies and were competing at a decent level in Europe

b) that hes absolutely adored at

c) that helped him back from his career threatening injury and plucked him from obscurity at Feyenoord


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The argument is obviously that he had the ability to play for clubs who had the squads to potentially win the champions league, and who could pay him wages in-line with other players of his perceived ability.

By staying loyal to Celtic, people assume he wasn't able to hang with the best of the best in Europe, and was happier to be the biggest fish in his waters. This is not my opinion, I in fact think that staying at Celtic and firing them to European glory in Seville, while accepting that the love he received from the Celtic faithful made him richer than the cash that other European clubs were willing to pay him.

People wanted to see if he could destroy English and Spanish and Italian and German and whoevers defences and teams the way he did Scottish ones. And it's easier for people to say,

"he didn't move because he couldn't do it",

than to understand and respect his decisions, and appreciate that we got to see his talents displayed in the best way as his teams star player for 7 years.

*almost firing*

Bit of an important word to miss!

no i understand what you guys are saying and if i wasnt a Celtic i wouldve liked to of seen how he woudlve got on in a better league


Trust me someone who watched him every week, he wouldve skooshed any league he played in, most intelligent footballer ive ever seen.

The fact he spent his best years at a strong Celtic enhances my opinion of him. Every time i saw games involving him he always looked top drawer and no doubt would have looked that way in any team or league. Celtic loved him and he loved celtic ,as the ghodfather says why would he leave?

It's well worth acknowledging that he did win the champions league during his late career with Barcelona as well as back to back La Liga titles, and received a premier league medal for the 3 months he spent at United as well.

So really, what didn't he win that moving to another club earlier would have won him. All in all I'd say Henrik had the perfect career. A captain of his country & over 100 caps won. Adored as a legend by the fans of his beloved Celtic. Thought of extraordinarily highly by everyone at the clubs he played for, including genuine legends of the game like Ronaldinho and Sir Alex Ferguson (even more impressive considering Fergie's Rangers connection!).

I don't think Henrik Larsson's playing career could have been any more full or perfect really.

So, we bring in Zlatan?

comment by Busby (U19985)
posted on 23/7/15
Absolutely brilliant, shame we'll never know since he spent his best years in Scotland.
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To be fair, between Champions League, Europa League, Old Firm games and international tournaments Larsson played in about 20 top drawer games a season.

Playing in a top league (unless he was at a club who regularly went deep into Europe) he wouldn't really have played more than 20 top drawer games a season anyway.