Henrik Larsson was too good.
At least that’s what profile Pelle Blohm thought – who tried to emerge as a hero.
But it didn’t end at all as he had imagined…
Henrik Larsson is best known for his fantastic years at Celtic and the Swedish national team. For a few years, the Swede was the most dangerous striker in the entire world, and he can be proud of having won the Golden Boot, as Europe’s best goalscorer in one season.
Incredible career
Henrik Larsson still has cool status at Celtic for the incredible success there, but Larsson also had memorable spells at Barcelona and Manchester United. In both big clubs, Larsson was praised to the skies by icons such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Xavi and Ronaldinho. Larsson had just about everything needed to do great things on the pitch, but was also a leader in the dressing room and a beloved teammate.
And already when he broke through in the early 90s, it was understood that there was something very special about him. Larsson averaged almost a goal per game in Helsingborg in 1992 and 1993, before moving to Dutch side Feyenoord. And the other Allsvenskan clubs perhaps began to tire of exactly how superior Henke actually was. At least Pelle Blohm, then a player in IFK Norrköping but who after his career became a popular expert on television, had that opinion.
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Were booed out – by their own audience
During a meeting in Norrköping, when Henke was at his best, Blohm thus chose to act.
“Henke Larsson was running around and scoring goal after goal, so I thought I’d take on the role of the bad cop, with the ulterior motive of becoming a hero to the home crowd. So at some point during the match in front of the large seating stand, I took a chance and threw myself into a tackle that knocked Henrik Larsson over. It felt really good when I stood up to receive the tributes like a gladiator surrounded by the crowd,” he wrote.
But it didn’t go at all as he had planned. Instead of cheers from his supporters, it was… the opposite.
“It got a little confusing when the audience instead started booing at full strength. A rock-hard ear file on both cheeks from the IFK Norrköping family. My family. So sad. I even think that the former Swedish national team captain Georg “Åby” Eriksson and the rest of the legendary whining crowd at “Parken” stood up and whistled me out,” wrote Blohm.
What did he learn from it then? Well, just how big Henke was – even then.
“Henrik Larsson was already bigger than me, even in the opponent’s shirt, he was the only one with longer hair and he scored more goals. The audience probably already knew more than I did. Oh, as they say: The rest is history…”
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