Former Swedish Man utd goal scorer reveals to The Guardian that in 1989 he spent a week training with Benfica with Eriksson.
Henrik Larsson, one of Europe’s top goal scorers during the turn of the 20th to the 21st century, shone brightly at Celtic, Barcelona, and Manchester United.
However, before his stardom, he was on the verge of joining Benfica, as revealed by the Swede in an interview with the English newspaper ‘The Guardian’. “In 1989, Helsingborg made an agreement that the most promising player would train with Benfica. I spent a week there, and it went quite well” says the former forward, now 52 years old, highlighting the role of Sven Goran-Eriksson in the process. “He was the best coach we exported. There’s no one close to him. Unfortunately, he’s ill now, but we’ve always had a connection. He told me that if it weren’t for the limit of three foreign players, I would have signed.”
Regarding his departure from the world of football since leaving Barcelona, where he was Ronald Koeman’s assistant, Henrik Larsson is unequivocal. “I’m tired of the game. I felt it back then, but I wanted to confirm what I already knew. The demands are too high. The way they sacked Koeman, how we were sacked, was terrible. I’m tired of football because it’s all about money, more than ever” he asserts, adding, “I admit I earned good money throughout my career; I can’t be compared to a factory worker, but I was never driven by money. I played football with a passion for the game.”
To illustrate his detachment from financial matters, the former goal scorer recalled a career choice. “The opportunity to sign for Manchester United arose in the 1990s, when I was at Celtic. I would have had a better salary, perhaps an extra 10 or 15 thousand pounds per week, but after three and a half years of ups and downs at Feyenoord, I had found some stability at Celtic. We had competed in the UEFA Cup, I was playing for the national team, and I didn’t feel the need to move anywhere else. I didn’t become a star at Barcelona, but at Celtic” he emphasizes.
