Henrik Larsson managed to shine a ray of light into the gloom of Sweden's UEFA EURO 2008™ elimination when he announced that he would remain available for selection as the Scandinavians turn their thoughts to qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Legendary striker
Even though Larsson is about to turn 37 he remains one of Sweden's key players and it was the Helsingborgs IF player who created their best chance in the 2-0 defeat by Russia when he crashed a header from Mikael Nilsson´s first-half cross off the bar with the score still at 1-0. Speaking after the match, he said: "The coach already asked me the question about staying on and my answer doesn't change. So long as he thinks that I'm good enough, so long as he thinks I can contribute, then I'm going to be there for my country."
Previous retirement
Larsson came out of international retirement for a second time to play at UEFA EURO 2008™ and despite the disappointment of Sweden's early exit - their first since the 2000 finals - his appetite is still strong. "If I'm wanted then I'm going to play on. I have a club contract until November and I've not taken any decision whether I will or will not continue playing football after that deal expires but for the moment my decision is the same as it was before the tournament. I'm going to be there," he said.
Popular decision
Sweden's players immediately showed their support for Larsson's plans. Midfielder Daniel Andersson said: "This wouldn't be a fitting way for Henrik to bow out after the career he's had. He's been fantastic for his clubs and his country and I actually believe that despite the fact that we haven't played well as a team against Russia I think he had a good game." Defender Olof Mellberg added: "I don´t think Henrik has played his last game because he hasn't said anything about that to us. I think he's up for selection for the beginning of the World Cup qualifiers and I'd definitely like him to stay".
Final analysis
Larsson put a punctuation point on a difficult night by looking on the positive side. "The difference between winning and losing at this level is very slight" said the veteran of five previous major tournaments. "You need to ride your luck and when it was 1-0 I had a header off the bar. Had that gone in maybe it would have been different but I see not much point in talking about ifs and buts. Sometimes in football all you touch turns to gold it's just that this wasn't such a night. Russia played well, it's true, but I think they'll have a hard time against the Netherlands."
source: http://www.euro2008.uefa.com
