DESPITE being one of the biggest superstars in footballing history, Ronaldinho used to tell Henrik Larsson he was his “idol”.
Swedish forward Larsson told FourFourTwo that when he linked up with the Brazilian at Barcelona, he used to tell him daily just how much he respected him.
On Ronaldinho, Larsson said: “He used to joke every morning, ‘Hey, idolo, idolo!’
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“That was great. It wasn’t just about what he did on the pitch; you have to realise the pressure he was under at a club like Barcelona.
“I take my hat off to him for still being able to come in every morning with a big smile on his face. He’s a great human being.”
Back in 2006, Ronaldinho even said himself: “When he came to Barcelona, Henrik said nice things about me but by the time he left he was my idol.
"In fact, he was my idol even before that. I remember him playing for Sweden in the 1994 World Cup.
"Henrik taught me a lot about football and I learned even more from him as a person.
“I was disappointed that he left for Sweden because I would have loved to have played with him for longer."
Larsson himself revealed he left Celtic due to increasing pressure from the media, and a desire to move to warmer climes, with an incredible 30 clubs chasing his signature.
The ex-Sweden international said: "It was hard but I felt that if I didn’t score for a couple of games, the media would say, 'He’s not the same Larsson any more'.
"I wanted to quit while I was ahead.
"I had one year left on my contract and, in order to stop all the speculation, I wanted to declare as early as possible that I wouldn’t sign an extension at Celtic – I didn’t want any misinterpretations.
"There were more than 30 clubs interested, and I was looking to Spain because my dream was to play somewhere warm.
"I didn’t want to be fighting relegation, so I thought I would be pleased if it was a team in the middle. But then Barça came in and I said, 'Yes!'"
Larsson also revealed his one regret during his illustrious career was only spending two months at Manchester United.
When asked if he felt upset at spending such a small amount of time at Old Trafford, he claimed: "Yes, that’s the only regret I have in my career.
"I should’ve stayed, as it would have meant I got a Premier League winner’s medal, and I would have stayed for one more season.
"But I still had a contract with Helsingborgs and I feel that when you sign a contract, you have to see it out.
"Everything was professional at United. When I had to attend a christening for my brother’s children, the club ordered a plane to take me there after a match.
"United really take care of all their players."
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