5 famous players who came out of international retirement

#2 Henrik Larsson

Larsson celebrating after scoring a late equaliser against England at the 2006 World Cup

Sweden striker Henrik Larsson was well known for his goal scoring prowess and on-field intelligence. Larsson represented Sweden in three World Cups and three European Championships. During this course, he pulled out of international retirement not once but twice.

After guiding Sweden to the knockout stages of the 2002 World Cup, the powerful striker chose to retire from international football. However, the chance of representing Sweden at Euro 2004 lured him and he came out of retirement to represent his country. There, he scored three goals in the group stages ensuring Sweden’s qualification to the knockout stages. They were eventually eliminated by Holland on penalties in the quarter-finals.

He was also part of the 2006 World Cup where he scored in the dying minutes in a group stage draw against England and helped Sweden qualify for the knockout stage. Following his stint at the World Cup, he retired from international football for the second time.

He made another return at Euro 2008- but this time he wasn’t as successful, starting all three group matches as Sweden failed to qualify for the knockout stages.