In announcing his squad for the upcoming UEFA EURO 2008, national Sweden coach Lars Lagerback stated that he will be reading the names out in random order. He however, did the reverse as when the last name was read out, garnered much surprises and definitely an upbeat mood among the media and those attending the press conference in Stockholm.

His announcement read : “Henrik Larsson”. Period. And then, cheers!

Larsson has been a revelation and a talisman for the Swedish team for a long time now. He announced his retirement from international football following Swedens’ elimination at the 2006 World Cup and said that he will be concentrating on club football instead. At 36, he seemed sharper than ever, plying his trade with Helsingborgs IF where he has played 11 games, scoring 6 times.

Coach Lagerback has been a constant fan of Larsson having followed his career so far at club level even. He said that "There's been a glow about Henrik and his football throughout the spring. And I know that he looks like he's enjoying his football, he's playing good football. I thought about him returning during Helsingborg's UEFA Cup campaign, when Henrik played a big part in the team's success."

Larsson, who appeared at the press conference through a mobile phone link said that he was quick to reverse his retirement decision, one that he made hastily and with much regret. The player who has played for top clubs lik Feyenoord, Barcelona and a very successful stint in Celtic FC with a short loan spell with Manchester United voiced his passion and commitment to the national team. He said “When I said I was retiring, I was in a disappointed frame of mind. I wasn't happy with our performance in that match against Germany, and I wasn't happy with my own performance either. At that point I didn't know that I'd keep playing football for as long as this – or that I would enjoy it as much as I am right now. Lars Lagerbäck phoned me yesterday while I was out playing golf. When I checked my voicemail I made a quick decision to say 'yes'."

Lagerback who announced his team for the tournament failed however to convince another veteran player Teddy Lucic to come out of retirement while including wild cards like Johan Wiland, Fredrik Stoor and Tobias Linderoth.

Defenders: Mikael Dorsin (CFR 1907 Cluj), Petter Hansson (Stade Rennais FC), Daniel Majstorovic (FC Basel 1893), Olof Mellberg (Aston Villa FC), Mikael Nilsson (Panathinaikos FC), Andreas Granqvist (Wigan Athletic FC), Fredrik Stoor (Rosenborg BK).

Midfielders: Niclas Alexandersson (IFK Göteborg), Daniel Andersson (Malmö FF), Kim Källström (Olympique Lyonnais), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham City FC), Fredrik Ljungberg (West Ham United FC), Tobias Linderoth (Galatasaray AS), Christian Wilhelmsson (RC Deportivo La Coruña), Anders Svensson (IF Elfsborg).