Larsson recalled to Swedish squad

Striker Henrik Larsson was a surprise inclusion in Sweden’s squad for the European Championship.

The former Celtic, Barcelona and Manchester United striker had retired from the national team after their second round loss in the last World Cup.

Although Larsson hadn’t participated in the qualifiers, he has been impressive in the Swedish league with six goals in eleven appearances for his club Helsingborg this season.

Larsson is one of five strikers in the squad with Inter’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Toulouse’s Johan Elmander, Copenhagen’s Marcus Allback and Werder Bremen’s Markus Rosenberg.

Larsson’s return to the tournament marks his third comeback to international football.

He had announced his retirement but returned the following season for what was billed as a one-off appearance during the previous European Championship’s qualifiers.

However, Larsson was named in the squad for the championship in Portugal and was Sweden’s top scorer.

“When I last retired after the World Cup, I didn’t think I would be on the field this long and that it would go this well or that there would be another championship,” he said.