Henrik Larsson

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.

Edward Henrik Larsson was born on 20 September 1971 in Helsingborg, Scania.

His father, Francisco Da Rocha, is from Cape Verde, and his mother, Eva Larsson, is Swedish.

His parents, who never married and split up when he was 12, decided that he should take his mother's surname because they felt it would make it easier for their son to be accepted in Sweden.

He credits his father for his love of football.

His father gave him a football when he was 16 months old and as a child, he was able to practice with brothers and friends on a large field near his home in Helsingborg.

He has said of his school years, "I experienced some racism, because back then it was unusual to have a dark kid at school, I was one of the few."

He watched English football on television and his parents gave him a video of Pelé's life story, both of which inspired him.

Larsson began playing at lower-league Högaborg at age six.

This smaller club was known to provide a good education for young players, and since Larsson left he has stressed how important this was not only for his football but also for his adult life in general.

He went on to start his professional career playing for their senior team at age 17 while still at school.

When he was 18, he had a trial at Benfica, at the time being managed by Larsson's country-mate Sven-Göran Eriksson.

On leaving school at 18, Larsson combined a semi-pro football career at Högaborg with work as a fruit packer.

In four years playing at senior level with Högaborg, Larsson scored 23 goals in 74 matches.

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.

In 1992, second division side Helsingborg (the main club of his home city) signed Larsson.

In his first year as a full-time professional, Larsson scored 34 goals for Helsingborg and his partnership up front with veteran striker Mats Magnusson helped the side win promotion to the top Swedish division, the Allsvenskan, the club's return to the top tier after 24 seasons in the lower divisions.

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 Swedish national football team, and helped them finish in third place at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

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.

Often regarded as the greatest foreign import in Scottish football history, 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 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 all-time leading goalscorer in the UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup.

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.

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.

He served Barcelona as assistant to Ronald Koeman from August 2020 until October 2021.