Larsson ready for big kick-off

By Mark Sylvester & Brian Brownstein

When Henrik Larsson tore a cruciate knee ligament 14 games into last season, players, fans and coaches at FC Barcelona feared the striker may never play again.

Amazing recovery
But as the Blaugrana set about capturing their first Primera División title in six years, Larsson was beginning his own recovery programme and defied the doubters by returning to the team as a substitute for Barça's last two league matches. After missing practically the entire campaign following his November woe, the 33-year-old cannot wait for the new season to start.

Summer break
"We're a couple of weeks into the summer break and I wish the new season was starting yesterday," Larsson told uefa.com. "My knee injury meant I missed a big part of last season and now I just want to be back on the pitch playing the game I love. Next season should be a very exciting time at Barcelona and I'm looking forward to playing a part in it.

Hard work
"The whole club is still buzzing from winning the league and it will be great to build on that," the former Swedish international added. "As always, for me it will just be a case of working hard and trying to perform at the level I know I am capable of." Larsson is the first to concede Barça have yet to see the best of him but he got back to doing what he does best during their end-of-term tour of Japan – scoring goals. As welcome as those strikes were, the fact Larsson reported no adverse reaction in his knee was even sweeter.

Chance to shine
"It was great to get a few opportunities to play on the tour to Japan," the ex-Feyenoord and Celtic FC player said. "I managed to get a couple of goals and was named man of the match in our last game against Urawa Red Diamonds, which was very satisfying. They may not have been the toughest goals I've ever scored but it felt sweet to see the ball hit the back of the net. A major part of being a successful striker is making the runs and getting into the right positions to create scoring opportunities and I felt I was doing that.

Back to business
"I also felt I was moving well and there was absolutely no reaction from the knee," continued. "I didn't even think about the knee when I was on the pitch, even in challenges, and I went about my business as normal." Larsson, though, knows he is some way off playing a full 90 minutes with the demands of the Spanish top flight. For that reason alone, he is looking forward to pre-season and the chance to regain match sharpness.

Match fitness
"You can only be match-fit by playing games and I need to get a couple more under my belt before I'm totally back up with the pace of top-level football," he said. "I worked very hard on my conditioning while I was recovering from the injury, but all I want now is to get a few more run-outs in pre-season to help build up my match fitness." With fellow forward Samuel Eto'o signing a new deal last week, expect plenty of goals at Camp Nou next season.

Henrik Larsson's personal website is at www.icons.com