Paolo Di Canio has opened up on his admiration for Henrik Larsson and the regret he feels over never having the chance to partner the Swedish legend at Celtic.
The Italian forward arrived at Celtic in 1996 from Milan and made a swift impact, scoring 15 goals in 37 appearances and claiming the SPFA Player of the Year award. However, his time in Glasgow was cut short following a contract dispute that saw him leave the club after just one season. He then made the move to Sheffield Wednesday, before playing for West Ham.
Di Canio reflected on what might have been had he stayed at Parkhead to line up alongside Larsson, who joined the club after his departure, admitting he would have loved to have played alongside the Celtic great.
The attacker told footitalia, “He came because I left. We were in similar positions. Celtic were lucky because he was an amazing footballer. It was a good change. That’s life, it happens. It was our destiny in some way. One door closes, a big gate opens. This is my mentality. He’s a footballer who would’ve been fantastic to play with because he was an incredible, high quality player. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. I was happy to know that Celtic remained in good hands.”
Di Canio’s abrupt Celtic exit came after a massive wage increase request was turned down, and he refused to travel for pre-season training. That paved the way for Larsson’s arrival—ushering in one of the most iconic eras in Celtic history.
If the Italian hadn’t left Celtic, the Hoops may never have signed Larsson, who’d go on to be one of the best players in the club’s history.
