On this day in 1997.... Celtic completed the signing of the ‘King of Kings’ Henrik Larsson from Feyenoord for a bargain £650,000 transfer fee.
Signed at a time when the club were desperately seeking a top goal scorer under the management of new boss Wim Jansen, who knew the player well and was aware of the clause in his contract at the Dutch side, Celtic were bidding to not only prevent Rangers from winning ten-in-a-row but to preserve the Lisbon Lions legacy under Jock Stein.
The Swedish international would go on to make 315 appearances for the Parkhead club and score a sensational 242 goals. Add in eight major honours, one European final and a golden boot, he remains one of the best players to ever pull on the Hoops jersey.
Larsson often reflects on his seven-year spell in Glasgow’s East End as the place where he shot to stardom, admitting: “This is the club for me. This is where I made myself as a player, this is where everybody got to know me and this is the club that I will be eternally grateful to.”
Not only did he score a number of hugely important and memorable goals, he left behind a legacy and is still adored by the Celtic faithful to this day. Here is a look back at some of his best moments at the club 26 years on from putting pen to paper:
17. One of the world’s best
Rangers manager Dick Advocaat famously said: “Larsson is one of the best strikers in Europe, maybe the world. If you watch Batistuta, he is sometimes not seen for 90 minutes but he scores two goals. Larsson has even more, because, besides being a good player and goalscorer, he has a tremendous work rate.” | AFP via Getty Images
18. The ‘King of Kings’
242 goals in 315 appearances puts the Super Swede third in Celtic’s list of all-time top goal scorers behind Bobby Lennox and Jimm McGrory. He would leave Celtic at the end of the 2003/04 season to join Barcelona on a free transfer. | Getty Images
19. Hall of Fame inductee
The ‘King of Kings’ later won a European Cup with Barcelona, a Premier League title with Manchester United and became he first players from outside Scotland to be inducted into the Scottish football ‘Hall of Fame’ in 2006. Photo: SNS Group
20. Parkhead return
Larsson has played in several testimonial matches since retiring from professional football in 2009 and will always receive a heroes welcome any time he takes to the pitch at Celtic Park. | Getty Images