Larsson has Pars for the last course

Scottish FA Cup Final: Celtic and Henrik Larsson caught each other by surprise and the amazement has lasted for seven years. The forward's last competitive appearance for them comes today against Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Cup final, but the precious peculiarity of his career will resonate in the history of the game.

In the summer of 1997, Celtic and the Swede were both down on their luck. A club that had once been so renowned had just seen Rangers take the Scottish Premier League title for the ninth time in succession. A footballer who had once been an outstanding young prospect knew that Feyenoord planned to use him merely as a substitute for the coming season.

The then Celtic manager Wim Jansen recognised Larsson as a useful buy at £650,000 but never predicted the chain reaction that was triggered in Glasgow. Looking around in disbelief at what they could do, the club and the player rebuilt each other. As the defeat of Barcelona in the UEFA Cup this season suggests, the process has continued all the way through to Larsson's closing phase in Scotland.

Despite virtually writing off one of his seven seasons to a broken leg, he has scored 240 goals for Celtic, roughly three goals to every four appearances.

The sceptics, scoffing at the enfeebled condition of Scottish football, ask whether he could ever have made it in the Premiership. His admirers will reply that this is setting the bar rather too low for a fine attacker, since England is the most defensively blockheaded of Europe's major leagues.

Why not measure Larsson instead by the World Cup, where his total of three goals in 2002 was one more than Michael Owen's, despite Sweden playing a match fewer? Why not assess his work in scoring at least once against every club he faced as Celtic reached last year's UEFA Cup final? Why not recognise that, with 35 goals, he holds the British club record in European competition?

He has, admittedly, accepted limitations that would perhaps not have chafed him elsewhere. While equalising twice against Porto in that UEFA Cup final he gave one of the great displays by any striker in recent times, but Celtic's slapstick defending still made him the loser in a 3-2 defeat. His club's financial limitations have tended to produce a squad of uneven ability.

Larsson had the opportunities to walk away - Alex Ferguson claims to have made discreet soundings a few years ago but found Larsson, his wife Magdalena and their children happy to stay in Scotland.

It has taken until now for people to appreciate the degree to which he had become emotionally bound to Celtic. He is normally a controlled person, with feelings under heavy guard. He has spoken only briefly, for instance, of the effect on him as a child when his father, a sailor from the Cape Verde islands, and his Swedish mother separated. Nor does he dwell on the racism he has encountered in football society.

It was, then, to the incredulity of the crowd a week ago that he burst into tears after scoring the second of his goals in his last SPL match at Celtic Park. Long after the full-time whistle had blown against Dundee United he remained choked.

TV crews fared little better when seeking the manager's view of Larsson. By the time Martin O'Neill had babbled the word "special" four times in a single sentence the pointlessness of interviewing anyone in the vicinity of the dressing room was obvious.

Larsson really should not have had to sob to persuade anyone of his bond to the club. The sheer effort he made was always obvious. Many feared for him when he broke his tibia and fibula in 1999, but the following season he ran up 53 goals and won the golden shoe as Europe's top scorer.

He has had a zealot's desire to make the greatest use of his uncanny time at Celtic.

"We will miss him," said O'Neill once composure had returned last weekend, "but I think he'll miss us too. He'll miss having 60,000 people chanting his name every 10 minutes."

However, despite Larsson's imminent departure, O'Neill is confident everyone will be fully focused on the cup final.

Yesterday, he said: "There was talk about whether we would be side-tracked because Henrik is leaving but I don't think there is anyone at all with any other thoughts in their head than this game tomorrow."

Larsson's partnership with Chris Sutton has been tried and tested but Dunfermline, who have beaten Celtic at Parkhead this season, also have a settled front pairing in the shape of Scotland international Stevie Crawford and the veteran Craig Brewster.

However, the Pars are without first-choice defenders Scott Thomson (ankle), Scott Wilson (appendix operation) and Greg Shields is cup-tied. Striker Noel Hunt is also out having failed a fitness test on a damaged ankle. Doubts Darren Young (hamstring) and Billy Mehmet (back) are expected to be fit however.

O'Neill has no injury worries, but will have plenty to fret about when Larsson finally departs.