In their prime, few players would have declined to play for Manchester United, but for one illustrious striker, Celtic was the ultimate goal.In their prime, few players would have declined to play for Manchester United, but for one illustrious striker, Celtic was the ultimate goal. Henrik Larsson scored an incredible 242 goals in 315 games during an incredible seven-year tenure at Celtic Park, earning him the nickname “King of Kings.”Celtic won four Scottish Premier League crowns under Henrik Larsson’s leadership. In addition to leading Celtic to four Scottish Premier League crowns, the Swede was instrumental in preventing Rangers from tying the Bhoys’ record of nine consecutive league titles.But if the famous striker had seized the chance to move from Celtic to Manchester United in the 1990s, things might have turned out quite differently for him.“In the 1990s, I had the chance to join Manchester United from Celtic,” Larsson said in an interview with The Guardian. “Perhaps I would have made an extra £10,000 or £15,000 a week. However, I had just finished three and a half years of ups and downs with Feyenoord.“I wanted to continue with that since I had just gotten comfortable at Celtic. Since I played for Sweden and we had participated in the Uefa Cup, I didn’t see the need to travel. At Celtic, not at Barcelona, did I achieve superstar status. Fortunately for Larsson, the train to Old Trafford broke down a second time in his career when he signed a three-month loan with United in 2007.Larsson was playing for Helsingborgs back home, but he had the chance to see Premier League action at the end of the Swedish league season.Larsson notes that even though his time in Manchester was brief, he felt privileged to represent the team and praised the warm reception he received.“Sir Alex Ferguson made me feel so welcome even though I was only there for ten weeks,” he continued. I resided in the Lowry, a hotel. I used to go to lunch with Louis Saha, Patrice Evra, and Wayne Rooney. “Oh, they really care,” I realised. You therefore wish to treat them well. Being a Manchester United representative was an honour.In 2006, as Barcelona overcame Arsenal 2-1 in the Champions League final in Paris, the Swede appropriately picked up the trophy.His arrival as a second-half substitute turned the tide of the game at the Stade de France, dishing out two assists to defeat Arsene Wenger’s team. Having moved on from football, 52-year-old Larsson now splits his time between being a grandfather, managing his own clothing business and getting in a few holes of golf. GET MORE RELATED CONTENT ON SPORTWORDS.CO.UK
