PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Johan Mjällby is one of Swedish football’s big names.
And he never forgets his move to Celtic – with a special welcome from Henrik Larsson himself.
– “Henke” just tanned, legend Mjällby tells SportExpressen.
He broke through as a boy in the small suburban club IK Bele once upon a time. But it was in AIK that his career would take off in earnest Johan Mjällby with double SM gold in 1992 and 1998.
Mjällby’s career
With nicknames such as “Kärnkraftverket”, “Dolph” and “Big Johan”, he would become a real favorite in Swedish football with his rock-hard and self-sacrificing playing style. The big move abroad was to Scotland and classic club Celtic in 1998 where there would be six successful years.
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Mjällby won three league titles and four cup titles during his time at Celtic and also developed into an important cog in the Swedish A national team. There were 49 international matches in Blågult and he wore the team captain’s armband when Sweden reached the round of 16 in the 2002 World Cup.
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Larsson’s words
But it is above all the years at Celtic that have colored the Stockholmer’s career the most. He was used to city rivalries from his time in AIK with antagonists such as Djurgården and Hammarby, but it was something completely different in the Scottish capital Glasgow with Celtic’s arch-enemy Rangers.
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Johan Mjällby had been persuaded by the Celtic shooting king Henrik Larsson to get to the green and white part of the city. And “Henke” then offered the most eloquent welcome to the countryman to make him understand the great rivalry.
– You come to a big club that plays in Europe every year. You have to be in an environment where it’s world war if you don’t win every game, you get into a mentality where every game has to be won, it will suit you perfectly. Our competing club is also mega-sized. There are two white sharks in a goldfish bowl!, Larsson told him, Mjällby tells SportExpressen.
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“Henke’s tanner”
Then it was “bang on” for Mjällby, who was thrown straight into the hot air. After just three days in Glasgow, he was sent right into the starting eleven for the derby against Rangers.
– It wasn’t even two weeks after we won gold with AIK. Suddenly I’m going to face Rangers in a derby. I thought it was a misunderstanding: “What should I play right away?”. Henke just tanned and said: “Now it’s just out and drive as you usually do,” says the defender to the evening newspaper.
After his playing career, Mjällby also returned to Glasgow to become an assistant coach at Celtic in the years 2010-14. To this day, the city holds a warm place in the football legend’s heart and he is still recognized on the street, but the reaction depends entirely on which team you’re rooting for.
– It is the same to this day. If they see me, they run up and want an autograph and take pictures – or they point their finger and shout: “You fucking wanker”, says Johan Mjällby in the interview.
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