Football's forgotten legends: #1 Henrik Larsson

Football really is more than just the beautiful game. It brings people together at the highest of highs and keeps them together when times are tough. Some players are fortunate enough to have experienced the glory days in their careers, yet the same squads will certainly have felt frustration and heartbreak. With enough hard work, grit and determination, a player who achieves a lot in their career will always be remembered as an icon; a legend; a hero.

But unfortunately, some of football’s greatest names have gone under the radar and their achievements are barely remembered. They don’t deserve to be forgotten about, so we’re not. Join us as we take you on a trip down memory lane and remember some of football’s forgotten legends.

#1 Henrik Larsson

Our first stop takes us north of the border to Scotland. Possibly the most loved foreigner the green side of Glasgow has ever seen, ‘The King of Kings’ as he was known by the Parkhead faithful, Henrik Larsson was undoubtedly Celtic’s biggest asset and star player during the club’s most successful period since the Lisbon Lions era of the late 1960’s.

Surprisingly though, the Swede had hardly made a name for himself in the Eredivisie when then-Hoops boss Wim Jansen snapped him up for a measly £650,000 from Feyenoord in July 1997. Having been a one-goal-in-four games striker at De Kuip, nothing special was expected of him by the Bhoys’ fans. Larsson initially lived up to his low expectations; he only played a supporting role as Celtic looked to stop bitter rivals Rangers from clinching their tenth title in a row.

However, it was in that same 1997/98 season that Henrik properly left his mark on the Celtic faithful as he fought his way into the Starting XI, scored 16 goals in 35 matches, including the winner on the final day to bring the league back to Celtic Park.

From here on in, Larsson would go from strength to strength, showing glimpses of excellence every time he took to the pitch. In the following campaign he almost doubled his tally from the season prior - scoring 29 in 35 - before cruelly breaking his leg in a UEFA Cup tie. This ruled him out of action for the entire season, and there were growing doubts he would return to his best.

But, as the old saying goes, ‘cream always rises to the top’ - and in this case, it rose pretty damn quickly. The following season was not only Larsson’s best yet, but it would be his best-ever. Celtic were runaway leaders with the league - amassing an incredible 97 points from a possible 114 – and by producing 35 goals in just 37 SPL games (a tally that doubled that of the next top scorer) Henrik had a one-way ticket into etching his name onto the hearts of the adoring Green Brigade.

Instrumental in helping Celtic on their way to the Scottish treble, Larsson was in the form of his life and was rewarded by being given the European Golden Boot after scoring 53 goals in all competitions – including what has been branded ‘the best Old Firm goal of the 21st Century’, nutmegging a Rangers defender before acutely dinking the keeper in a 6-2 victory.

Whilst the Scottish league isn’t the most competitive in the world, Larsson achieved an unprecedented four top scorer awards in a row. Celtic won a further three SPL titles in his time in Glasgow and came runners-up in the UEFA Cup in 2003 – beating Liverpool along the way – but coming unstuck in the final against Porto.

It was not long before eventually Barcelona came calling and Larsson said farewell to Celtic Park, but having tallied an incredible 242 goals in 315 wearing the green and white hoops, Larsson is well and truly a legend of the game.

Well there you go. Henrik Larsson is our first 'forgotten legend'. Do you have any players you'd like to be featured in this series? If so let us know on Twitter and Instagram.