Larsson leaves international arena
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
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Henrik Larsson will play no part in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying with Sweden with the 34-year-old claiming "it feels right" to call time on his international career.
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Henrik Larsson will play no part in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying with Sweden after calling time on his international career.
Right time
The 34-year-old striker has always thrived in the UEFA European Championship, scoring against Italy at the 2000 finals in Belgium and the Netherlands before hitting three in four games at UEFA EURO 2004™ in Portugal. "I'm quitting now. It feels right. I've done my time for the national side," the former FC Barcelona, Celtic FC and Feyenoord favourite said. Larsson is back with former club Helsingborgs IF in his homeland, and made his league debut yesterday in a 3-1 defeat by BK Häcken.
World class
Larsson's international breakthrough came in 1993, the first of 93 caps yielding 36 goals. He struck his final goal for Sweden in the 2-2 group-stage draw against England at this summer's FIFA World Cup. Sweden lost 2-0 to hosts Germany in the second round, with Larsson missing a penalty. He spent 13 years of his career abroad and left Barcelona on a high in May with both assists in the 2-1 UEFA Champions League final win against Arsenal FC.