He made his name with Celtic but it was with Barcelona where Henrik Larsson cemented his reputation.

Those who cast doubt on the striker’s 242 Celtic goals in 313 appearances – and Alan Shearer was infamously one of them – were silenced when Larsson came off the bench to set up the two goals when Barcelona beat Arsenal in the Champions League final in 2006.

And yet while Larsson’s triumph that night when he won the biggest club competition of all is the peak of the many milestones he enjoyed in a decorated career, his affection still remains with Celtic after spending seven years at the club.

Read more: Henrik Larsson tells Hoops class of 2016 to believe

There are tangled emotions, though, when Barcelona are all also brought into the fray.

“I have so memories of great nights at Celtic Park,” said Larsson, now manager of Helsingborg, where he began his playing career. “The night we beat Barcelona in Glasgow was a very special night, the night when Thommo [Alan Thompson] scored.

“I think that was in the UEFA Cup – that whole run was fantastic, even though I still do not like to think about the final. But the Champions League nights were different again.

“There is something about them and about the noise inside the stadium. Playing your football in that atmosphere is a privilege.”

Larsson returned to Celtic Park as a Barcelona player just ten months after leaving Glasgow when the teams met in the Champions League in 2004. The Swede started the game on the bench but came on to score – a goal he did not celebrate – in a 3-1 win for the Catalans.

“One of the hardest nights of my career was going back to Celtic Park as a Barcelona player. It was not pleasant. It was too soon for me.

“I still knew many of the players I was playing against and I will always have a special affection for the Celtic support. At the end of the day you are paid to be a professional and do a job and I did it, but it was very hard. I will always have a connection with the Celtic fans.

Read more: Henrik Larsson tells Hoops class of 2016 to believe

“I couldn’t have celebrated that goal. Not there. Not in front of the same fans. I had to do my job but it was difficult.”

Larsson was delighted to see Celtic back in the competition after a three year absence from the tournament.

The Swede was part of the first Hoops delegate who made it into the competition for the very first time in 2001 when Celtic saw off Ajax to qualify.

There were heady nights that followed with a 4-3 thriller against Juventus as well as wins over Porto and Rosenborg in Glasgow.

Martin O’Neill’s side narrowly missed out on progression out of the group but the Irishman was credited with restoring Celtic’s fortunes after a long hiatus from European football.

The similarities between O’Neill and Rodgers have been noted already and Larsson believes, from a distance, that the former Liverpool manager has had a galvanising effect on the Parkhead squad already.

“I have not seen too much but he has obviously done something right,” said Larsson. “The biggest target this season would have been to get into the group stages of the Champions League so you have to say that already he has been successful.

“When you have that kind of success early on then you think that it suggests there are good things going to come. There will be a lot of confidence, a lot of belief and that in itself is such a big thing in football. The momentum can take you to good places.”

Celtic will look to expand their wings off the park now with the significant cash injection allowing the Parkhead club to add to their squad before the transfer window closes next Wednesday night.

Rodgers has insisted that he would like to add at least one more player and while Larsson believes that bringing in a little bit of quality can only enhance Celtic’s hand, he nevertheless has sounded out the converse of playing in the Champions League; some of Celtic’s own players may find themselves in the spot-light.

Kieran Tierney attracted some interest from Arsenal last season and Larsson expects that there are one or two players who may catch the eye when they are given the Champions League stage to perform on.

“Celtic is a wealthy club and the opportunity is there to go out and compete,” he said. “It isn’t always so easy as to say that if you have the Champions League then more people will want to come to the club. You cannot guarantee that.

“But being there means that you are able to maybe look at a players that might not have been possible without having been in the competition. If you manage to get a good player in them that is great because it gives you the best possible chance to go out and succeed.

Read more: Henrik Larsson tells Hoops class of 2016 to believe

“But there is also another side too: when you are playing in the Champions League you are on a stage that everyone sees.

“If you have players doing well and competing against teams at the very top level then you also have other teams looking and thinking that they can move in for them.”

For now, though, there is only excitement.

Celtic have a guaranteed financial bonus as well as six glamorous games to look forward to.

And Larsson’s delight was with the Hoops supporters whom he believes will have the stadium rocking for Manchester City, Barcelona and Borussia Monchengladbach.

“It is very important for Celtic as a club and for their supporters that they are in the Champions League,” said the Swede. “It is excellent to see them back in there after a few years because I know how much it means to the club and how much it means to the players.

“The supporters will enjoy – and they have a part to play too. I wish them all the luck.”