I wasn’t scared when I saw Henrik’s leg break... I knew he would be back. Every day we would stay late at training and work on his finishing. That told me he would do all he could to return
LUBO MORAVCIK looked at Henrik Larsson’s snapped leg and his heart sank.
As the Swede lay stricken on the turf in Lyon’s Stade Gerland, sickened team-mates saw a pal in agony and some shattered fans wondered if a hero would ever play again, never mind attain great heights.
Moravcik shared their sadness but not the worries. He’d been there.
Larsson had just turned 28 as he began his arduous rehabilitation but his Celtic team-mate knew the attitude and the work ethic of his team-mate gave him every chance.
At the same time, the Slovak’s own experiences told him it was doable. He’d been through it himself.
Moravcik backed his buddy and was proven right. He recalled: “It was a really sad moment. I saw his leg. The pictures were not nice afterwards with his bone broken.
“It was a bad image but I wasn’t scared for him. Before I came to Scotland and when I was 31 I also had a bad injury. Not exactly the same but I broke a bone in my leg. I was out for four months.
“After I came back I got the same injury six months later because the first operation was not successful. That was another five months out.
“In two years I had two breaks but I was much older and I was playing again in good form when it happened to Henrik.
“Everyone tried to help him recover, mentally. I can’t remember what I said to him exactly but we were all sure he would be back strong.
“When you know how hard Henrik works you were convinced.”
Moravcik was just as industrious. Managers say the best players in the world also work the hardest and Celtic’s star duo were a case in point.
This was two men who saw each day as an opportunity to improve and Moravcik said: “I remember at training, I would stay behind and send in cross after cross for Henrik to volley and header.
“He knew he needed repetition to be good in the game. That’s how hard he worked.
“Even when you played a training game he never thought it wasn’t important. We had competitions in passing.
“Henrik had the pleasure to play football. He was happy at his work. It was a privilege to be at Celtic. You have to be happy as it’s a nice life.”
The chemistry between Moravcik and Larsson on the pitch together at
Parkhead was outstanding. It was a double act that brought wins for Jozef Venglos and John Barnes before the horror night in Lyon. Off the park they were also mates but the Slovak has revealed two other Hoops stars played a key role in his enjoyment of life in Glasgow. Six weeks after Moravick signed for Celtic speaking little English, Aussie striker Mark Viduka also arrived, having come from Croatian stock. That helped Moravcik a lot in terms of communication and it was the same later on when Frenchman Didier Agathe arrived, with the Slovak having spent spells with St Etienne and Bastia.
Moravcik said: “For two years myself and Henrik lived in the same area with Tommy Boyd in Bothwell.
“Sometimes his son would come to my house or my son to his house. When we went to the airport the three of us would go in the same car.
“We had a lot of respect for each other. We were good friends. Maybe not close, close friends but good friends.
“I liked him a lot but we didn’t spend
lots and lots of time together outside of the stadium.
“I was more very close with Mark during his time at Celtic. That was a close relationship. He helped me a lot.
“Mark spoke good English and was my teacher for English – well a little bit. I understood his language from Croatia and his English was great from Australia.
“I would ask him what things meant and I made a lot of progress with my language when he was there.
“Didier did the same when he joined afterwards with his French and English.”
Of course M or avcik course M or avcik and andViduk aV iduka did their best to assist Barnes but the toiling boss was on to a loser the moment Larsson’s leg broke and the Englishman was axed four months later.
However, there was a silver lining in the season. Kenny Dalglish took over as interim in the period before Martin O’Neill’s appointment and a trophy was delivered in the shape of the 2000 CIS Insurance Cup.
It was Moravcik’s first major domestic medal and he played a big role with the winner in the semi- final against
Kilmarnock before the Larsson-Larssonless squad returned to Hampden to defeat Aberdeen in the final.
Moravcik would enjoy great success in the subsequent couple of years under O’Neill but this was the taster, well into his 30s and a first chance to savour that feeling of success.
It set the tone and he said: “If you play for Celtic you have to win medals. Every year you need to go for all competitions.
“After that first season when we got no medals, the first one was something I appreciated. It was my first at the club.
“When you get it you want more. It gives a positive feeling and a hunger. It creates a good atmosphere in the club.”
When you know how hard Henrik works you knew he’d be back strong LUBO MORAVCIK