Larsson back with a bang

Henrik Larsson, one of Europe's most prolific goalscorers, capped a spectacular return to tournament football with two goals in Sweden's 5-0 demolition of Bulgaria at the Euro 2004 football championship on Monday.

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But a change of heart by the six-year-old in April paved the way for Larsson to make his return, celebrated earlier this month with a goal in a 3-1 friendly win over Poland.

The striker brought the curtain down on a seven-year stint with Celtic last month having scored 242 goals in 315 games, and he underlined his importance to the Swedish cause in style with his double strike at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Group C.

A diving header after 57 minutes and an angled shot just a minute later made it 3-0 after Fredrik Ljungberg had given the Swedes a first-half lead.

Larsson's 75th cap took the 32-year-old's goal tally to 27 goals and revived memories of his impact a decade ago on the World Cup when he steered Sweden to the semi-finals.

His team eventually settled for third place in the United States after a 4-0 win over Bulgaria in which the once dreadlocked striker scored.

The clamour for the man they call "Henke" to return for the European Championship finals was led by UEFA's Swedish president Lennart Johansson, who sent a letter late last year urging him to reconsider his retirement plans.

LAST MATCH

Since joining Celtic from Feyenoord in 1997 for a paltry 750,000 pounds, Larsson has hit the net with stunning regularity in one of European soccer's unfashionable leagues.

A year after returning from a horrific leg break in a UEFA Cup match against Olympique Lyon, Larsson won the Golden Boot award as top scorer in European club football in 2000-01 with 53 goals. He was also named Scotland's Player of the Year.

Larsson has played his last match for Celtic after his contract expired and he left as the Glasgow club's third all-time scorer behind only Jimmy McGrory (470) and Bobby Lennox (273).

He helped them to win four league titles, three Scottish League Cups and a UEFA Cup runners-up medal after scoring twice in Celtic's 3-2 defeat in last year's final against Porto.

Larsson had a glorious end to his Celtic career, scoring two goals to secure a second Scottish Cup as the team beat Dunfermline Athletic 3-1 at Hampden Park.

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill admits he will find it almost impossible to replace Larsson, who is known the "King of Kings" by the club's supporters and was voted among the greatest 11 players in their history.