Henrik’s Heroes v Lubo’s Legends Sunday, May 28, kick off 2pm Premier sports

VIDAR Riseth is the latest player to sign up for Celtic FC Foundation's Henrik’s Heroes v Lubo’s Legends charity match on Sunday, May 28 (KO: 2pm), and while the Celtic family acclaims Henrik Larsson as a magician – the Norwegian regards the legendary No.7 as a mystic, too.

He revealed that Henrik was not only a wonderful player but an astute tipster. Riseth explained: “Henrik told me before the League Cup final against Aberdeen in 2000 that I would score. Then he sat in the stand because he was injured and he watched me knock in the first in a 2-0 victory. It was some forecast because I was never known for scoring goals, let alone in a cup final.”

Riseth hit the net five times in 73 games for the Hoops but is hoping to add to his tally when he plays in the Henrik’s Heroes v Lubo’s Legends match, two Celtic greats he has cherished memories of.

He said: “I’m 44 but I feel 22. I train five times a week and I am in good shape. It’s 16 years since I played at Celtic Park, though I've been back often as a spectator. The memories are always fresh.

“Henrik was the complete player. He wasn’t just a goalscorer. He was brilliant at providing assists. He could have scored even more but he preferred to pass it to someone in a better position. He did everything for the team. He worked so hard.

“It was strange that when Lubo came to the club there was criticism before he kicked a ball. People were saying: ‘Who is he? Is he not too old?’

“When he came to the club he couldn’t speak English but he could speak with his feet. In the first training session, everyone just said: ‘Wow!’.’’

Riseth admits he was different to the Czech and the Swede and said: “I was lucky in that I could play in a lot of positions. Obviously, I was no Lubo or Henrik but my versatility meant I played a lot of games.

“Kenny Dalglish told me when he took over from John Barnes: ‘You are like a potato - we can use you everywhere’. He meant that I may have been humble but I was useful.”

He added: “I went on to play for 1860 Munich in the Bundesliga but playing for Celtic was bigger for me.”

The former Celt is also delighted about the charitable purpose of his return to Celtic Park. He said: “That is the best thing about this game and the best thing about Celtic. I know how much the charitable origins of the club mean to the fans. It is going to be amazing.”

 

First-team coach John Kennedy was in Paradise today to promote the @FoundationCFC charity match between Henrik's Heroes & Lubo's Legends.

JK: It’ll be a great occasion, it’s fantastic that Lubo and Henrik are putting something back into the club that owes them so much.

JK: Lubo and Henrik have some great contacts and know some big stars so we’re looking forward to the line-up.

JK: @FoundationCFC goes a long way at this club and the support of the fans is so important.

JK: It’ll be a great, family atmosphere and an enjoyable day for everyone to look forward to.


JK: It's great that it’s at the end of the campaign too, especially for the fans, hopefully we’ll be celebrating a great season.

 

JOHN Kennedy knows how good Henrik Larsson and Lubo Moravcik were as players, having witnessed their qualities first-hand as he came through the ranks at Celtic as a young defender.

And Kennedy, now first-team coach at the club, is delighted to see the two Hoops legends returning to Paradise for Celtic FC Foundation’s charity match on Sunday, May 28 (KO: 2pm).

That match between Henrik’s Heroes and Lubo’s Legends will see funds raised for the Foundation’s work with dementia projects and tackling international poverty, as well as funding local programmes.

Speaking at Celtic Park today, John Kennedy said: “It’s fantastic that Lubo and Henrik are putting something back into the club that owes them so much. It’ll be a fantastic event for everyone.

“They both have great contacts and they know some big stars so we’re looking forward to seeing who’s in the line-up. It’s good for the fans too, especially as it’s at the end of the campaign and hopefully we’ll be celebrating a great season.”

Celtic are renowned for their charitable work and in honour of the great Lisbon Lions of 1967, Celtic FC Foundation has committed to building 67 kitchens to feed families in various international countries including Malawi.

Kennedy added: “The charitable foundation we have goes a long way at this club and the support the fans give is so important.

“It’s nice to perform in those types of games with a family atmosphere. We can look forward to a calm and enjoyable day and it’s also great for players that have never played here.”

Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell said: “It is magnificent that two Celtic greats in Henrik and Lubo are giving their time in this way to help others and we look forward to welcoming them back to Celtic Park. We are sure the match in May will be a huge success and will allow the great work of Celtic FC Foundation to continue.

“Celtic has always had charity and community at its core and this match will be another celebration of these important values and ultimately will make a hugely positive difference to the lives of people in real need.”

Tickets for the Henrik’s Heroes versus Lubo’s Legends charity match on Sunday, May 28 (KO: 2pm) are on general sale, on a first come first served basis priced at £12 for adults and £6 for concessions*.

 

TOM Boyd chalked up hundreds of miles in his career as a footballer, relentlessly racing up and down the flanks in 407 games for Celtic over an impressive 11-year period. In more recent years he has also hit the heights for the Hoops off the pitch, climbing Ben Nevis for Celtic FC Foundation.

Now the Celtic legend, who is also a club ambassador, will dust down the football boots again for Celtic FC Foundation’s Henrik’s Heroes versus Lubo’s Legends charity match at Paradise on Sunday, May 28 (KO: 2pm).

And as someone who commits so much time to supporting the Foundation’s work, he’s delighted to be part of this special event, which will see him meet up with many of his former Hoops team-mates.

“I’m looking forward to it though I do not know how much is left in the legs,” said the captain of the team that won the league title in 1998 and stopped the 10.

“But I am delighted to be taking part because the Foundation is at the heart of the club. I feel the charity aspect of Celtic has been re-energised in recent years with so many good people working behind the scenes.

“The fans are at the centre of this. They know the history of the club, what it was set up for, and already it seems they will turn out in great numbers for this match.”

This history, of course, has as its highlight Lisbon 1967 and Boyd is delighted that the match will also celebrate the heroes of Celtic’s greatest day.

“It is an honour to have played with the same team as them and to have known them,” he said.

Having joined the club he has always supported back in 1992, Tom Boyd was captain and one of the key figures in the Celtic squad by the time Henrik Larsson and Lubo Moravcik joined the Hoops.

And like the rest of his team-mates, he remains full of admiration for both players and their respective contributions to the club.

“I always kid Henrik on about that famous first pass that cost us a goal at Hibs, but what a wonderful player he was for the club,” said Boyd. “It was not just the goals he scored, though they were so important, but the way he carried himself on the field and off. The fans cannot be kidded and they have recognised him as a legend. He was and is all of that.”

And his praise for Lubo is equally fulsome, explaining: “You could see immediately Lubo was a technically very gifted player. He could play it off either foot and his delivery was outstanding.

“There is plenty of footage of both of them in the Hoops and they offer a master-class in what it means to be a top-class footballer.”

Henrik’s Heroes versus Lubo’s Legends will take place at Celtic Park on Sunday, May 28, 2017, with a 2pm KO.

 

Announce Rab Douglas

 

All in good time.

 

You can see where I'm going with this

 

Aye

 

Hopefully sutton can make it, but might be scheduling issues.. and of course Neil lennon!

 

STILIYAN Petrov, one of Celtic’s favourite sons, is coming home to Paradise for Celtic FC Foundation’s charity match between Henrik’s Heroes and Lubo’s Legends on Sunday, May 28 (KO: 2pm).

And the Bulgarian midfielder is delighted to get the chance to play again in front of the Celtic supporters with whom he has such a special relationship.

Stiliyan, now 37, knows what an incredible occasion a charity match can be at Celtic Park, because back in 2013 he held a game at the stadium following his courageous and successful battle with leukaemia.

It was an emotional day, not only for the Hoops hero and his family, but for the whole Celtic support, and Stiliyan is looking forward to getting back on the pitch again.

Speaking to the official Celtic website, he said: “As soon as I got the phone call about the game, I was excited to take part. There was no hesitation and no doubt that I wanted to be there. I told them immediately: ‘I am going to be there’.

“I am looking forward to going back home again. I had a great day with my charity game at Celtic Park and was so grateful to the fans.”

The Bulgarian internationalist joined Celtic in 1999 and went on to make 268 appearances for the club, scoring 68 goals.

He won four league titles, three Scottish Cups and three League Cups during his time with the Hoops, as well as playing his part in the team’s incredible run to the UEFA Cup final in 2003.

He moved to Aston Villa in 2006, and six years later he was diagnosed with leukaemia. He fought a brave and successful battle with the disease and now has his own foundation which aims to support research into leukaemia treatment while also offering support for families dealing with a cancer diagnosis.

And, of course, the opportunity to play at Celtic Park will also allow Stiliyan to meet up with the two men he describes as the two best players he played alongside during his career.

“Whenever any of my old team-mates are there, I want to be there, especially Henrik and Lubo,” he said. “It is a great honour to be playing with them again.

“Henrik is one of the greatest Celtic players of all-time because of what he achieved with the club. I have an unbelievable admiration for him. He is the best player I have played with and the second best player is Lubo. That’s my top two so it will be great to be on the park with them once again.

“They are two incredible players, two incredible human beings as well. To be part of a day that includes Henrik and Lubo and a salute to the Lions is an honour. Everybody knows the history at this club and it is wonderful to be part of it.

“I expect to be playing in front of a full house again as Celtic supporters always come out in numbers for such occasions. I am fit and well and ready to play.”

Henrik’s Heroes versus Lubo’s Legends will take place at Celtic Park on Sunday, May 28, 2017, with a 2pm KO.

 

It is a moment that Simon Donnelly remembers. It is a moment that disclosed the genius of an unheralded signing. “I got to him first,” said the former Celt of the celebrations in the wake of Lubo Moravcik’s opening goal in the 5-1 victory over Rangers in November 1998.

“It was a great scene. The place was going mad and Lubo was almost calmly taking the acclaim of the crowd. It was almost as if he was thinking: ‘I have arrived’.”

The diminutive Slovakian is set to descend on Celtic Park again as Lubo’s Legends take on Henrik’s Heroes in a match in aid of Celtic FC Foundation.

“I didn’t know anything about him except he was the wrong side of 30,” said Donnelly of Lubo’s signing. “But from day one any doubts evaporated. The guy just won you over immediately. He was unbelievable on his deliveries off either foot, and he could trap balls with his backside.

“Zinedine Zidane said he was one of the best No.10s he had played against in France. The impact he had in the latter stage of his career was unbelievable. Imagine him coming to Celtic in his 20s? He was a player made for the Celtic fans.”

And so was Henrik Larsson, who joined the club from Feyenoord in 1997 and played his part in the title-winning triumph that season which ‘stopped the 10’.

“Henrik was the best I played with,” admitted Donnelly. “He was the modern-day Kenny Dalglish. The first season he came we won the league. He was a scoring sensation but he was more than that. His subsequent career at Barcelona and Manchester United was a testimony to his quality.

“Everything he put into it, he got back out. He trained hard, worked hard. He was a fantastic education for me as a young man. In training or in a match, you just picked things up from him. I was on a charity pitch with him once for 10 minutes and I learned things yet again.

“Henrik was incredible. He would always seem to latch on to what you were doing. He had an understanding that meant he was a joy to play alongside.”

Not surprisingly, Simon Donnelly He is looking forward to renewing his acquaintance with Lubo and Henrik.

“These games are great because players can be like ships in the night and it is great to have a reunion,” he said, “and a chance to play at Celtic Park does not go down too badly either.

“But everyone at the club – players, ex-players, fans, workers -the most important thing is to raise money for Celtic FC Foundation. This is what the club is about and the supporters know that.”

 

Get yer finger out Rab

 

SOME testimonials are highly convincing. Celtic travelled to Old Trafford 16 years ago and did Ryan Giggs the honour of playing seriously in his benefit match, winning 4-3 and thrilling the sell-out crowd.

But there was another testimonial on that night, played out after the final whistle, as Jackie McNamara explained: “One of our players asked Eric Cantona for his strip but he said, ‘No, I want Moravcik’s’. That’s how highly Lubo was regarded by those who played against him.”

The story comes back into the mind of McNamara, now Chief Executive Officer at York City, as he summons memories of his time with the captains of the Henrik’s Heroes and Lubo’s Legends match who will grace Paradise in an occasion to raise funds for Celtic FC Foundation on Sunday, May 28 (KO: 2pm).

And McNamara, who played for Celtic between 1995 and 2005, is unstinting in his praise of his two former team-mates, and he tells a story that illustrates the Henrik’s determination to be the best.

“When he came to Scotland at first he did not play golf and he was a high handicapper,” he said. “Within a year, he was down to single figures. He had natural sporting ability but he had determination along with it.

“Henrik is obviously one of the best that I played alongside and he just got better with his quality, his training, his dedication.”

And of Lubo, McNamara said: “It was a time when Rangers were spending millions and this little guy comes along with no great fanfare. But what a talent - his touch, free-kicks off left and right, I defy anyone to tell what foot was better. If I was a betting man, I would probably say his right but I saw him score from a corner with his left foot.”

As for his favourite memories of the two Celtic greats, he said: “For Lubo, it would be the second one he scored at Ibrox in 2001 when we won 3-0. He turns the defender inside out and then finishes casually.

“Henrik? You would be here all day about his special moments and how good he made people feel. Seville was great. And the 6-2 game. That would be my favourite. You’re not doing it against the boys, you are doing it against international players in the biggest of games.”

And the former Hoops hero is looking forward to playing in Celtic FC Foundation’s charity match in May.

“Celtic has always been great at this,” he said. “Celtic is more a football club. That’s not a cliché. It’s a fact.”

 

Patiently waits for Lennon and Sutton

 

Boycotting if Rab isn't in nets

 

Does anyone have a lift of all the players confirmed so far?

 

Henrik Larsson
Lubo Moravcik
Joos Valgaeran
John Hartson
Vidar Riseth
John Kennedy
Tom Boyd
Stan Petrov
Simon Donnelly
Jackie McNamara

 

Cheers

 

I saw a tweet from Enrico Annoni saying he's going to be there