The tongue was out again on Wednesday night. Another goal, his 44th of the season. Another winner, to put Celtic 16 points clear of Rangers. And another celebration. For Celtic, tomorrow at Hampden Park may mark the beginning of Martin O'Neill's silver era, but without question this is Henrik Larsson's golden time.

The goal against St Johnstone in midweek was Larsson's 34th in the Scottish Premier League (SPL) this season. But it had a significance beyond the relatively narrow confines of Scottish football. Larsson is very much an SPL phenomenon, but his rate of goalscoring means that this season he has a level of European penetration rarely experienced by Scotland's clubs lately.

As it stands, Larsson is in line to win Europe's golden boot come June. It would be an achievement all the more impressive given the handicap system which applies in this parallel strikers' league. It means that, for every four league goals Larsson scores in Scotland, players in England, Spain, Italy and Germany have to score three. Even so, Thierry Henry and Gabriel Batistuta are well behind.

There is some logic to the format, though not to The Netherlands inclusion in the "difficult" category. As has been illustrated by PSV Eindhoven's agitation for the North Atlantic League, alongside Celtic's and Rangers', the Dutch consider themselves on a par with Scotland.

The relevance of The Netherlands to Larsson's scoring feats is dual. First, PSV's Mateja Kezman is the man at present behind Larsson in goals with 20; second, The Netherlands is from where Larsson flew to Glasgow in July 1997 to become Wim Jansen's third signing as Celtic manager. "I've played in Holland and the standard there is not better," said Larsson recently.

He was 25 when he left and had been a professional for only four full seasons, one in his native Sweden with Helsingborgs, three with Feyenoord. He had won a handful of caps for Sweden, but Larsson's time with Feyenoord had not seen him figure highly on the shopping lists the European giants trawl the continent clutching.

The 24 goals he had scored in 99 appearances for Feyenoord was not an unrespectable figure, especially as Larsson had found himself frequently playing in midfield. But it was those tactical restrictions, allied to a desire to move anyway, that saw his first outbreak of singlemindedness.

Larsson took Feyenoord all the way to an industrial tribunal to enforce the escape clause in his contract. Larsson won in court and, once Celtic had handed over £650,000, the Swede was off to Paradise.

It cannot have seemed that way initially. On his debut, at Easter Road, Larsson's principal contribution was to give the ball to Hibernian's Chic Charnley to put in the back of the Celtic net and give Hibs victory. Most unpromising.

Since then, however, Larsson's productivity rate has been like a one-man tiger economy - 157 goals in 187 Celtic appearances, the fastest Celtic player to score a century of goals, on line to break Charlie Nicholas' record of 48 in one season, 1982-83. Those who mock Scottish football should note that even The Enemy concede that Larsson is something special.

Brian Laudrup became a Rangers legend during his years at Ibrox and was surely one player not flattered by the overused "world class" description. A month ago Laudrup said of Larsson: "A mediocre player could not do what Larsson is doing right now. Scotland is not as easy as people think."

A few days before that, the Rangers manager Dick Advocaat had gone even further, comparing Larsson to Batistuta. "Batistuta can be out of a game for all but one or two moments," Advocaat said. "During those short interventions he can kill you with a goal or two. Larsson scores, too, but he is a better player, bringing others into the game and showing abilities that other strikers don't have."

The compliments have not stopped. "Henrik is the better player," said Chris Sutton. He was talking about Alan Shearer at the time. "Alan is a great player, but Henrik is quite simply superb."

For O'Neill, each post-game press conference has become a Larsson love-in. "He's top quality," is O'Neill's usual starting point. "Clever, unselfish, he makes decisions based on what is most likely to help the team rather than himself." Once, having delivered another paean O'Neill stopped himself from going on. "I don't want to get sycophantic," he said. It can't be easy.

And from Larsson himself? Well, the man who sets so many other tongues wagging when his own pops out - an apparently natural reaction that has turned into a trademark - is so reticent that Scottish journalists often put their pens down when he speaks. It's the Shearer thing again. "I have a serious face. I can't help that," Larsson has said.

And, for all the alleged jollity of his celebrations, Larsson is first and foremost a serious individual. Colleagues recall the violent training ground altercation with Celtic defender Tosh McKinley shortly after Larsson's arrival. Then there was the fierce determination from which he recovered from the horrific double shin fracture sustained in Lyon 18 months ago. Then there are his own words. "Scottish football appealed to me. It's physical."

Someone searching for an explanation for Larsson's stern character - "I'm very, very stubborn" - might see it in his roots. Or his one-time dreadlocks. Larsson's multicultural appearance - he is the son of a Portuguese sailor from the Cape Verde islands off the west coast of Africa who fell in love in Scandinavia and married locally in Helsingborgs - meant that he experienced racism as a boy.

"If you're good at something, people forget your colour," he has said. But Larsson was not so good as he was outstanding when young. He worked in a fruit and vegetable warehouse as a teenager, did his military service and was doing youthwork when a Swedish scheme to send boys of talent to Benfica to train gave him his chance. He was 19. When he returned to Helsingborgs he started scoring freely for the hometown club. The rest is his story.

Now 29, ever since he emerged at Celtic, winning the title under Jansen, supporter concern has focused on Larsson's future. There was a belief that his departure was inevitable. England's Premiership was calling. But it hasn't happened, strengthening the bond.

"I liked Celtic and Glasgow right away and that first impression has remained," Larsson explained. "More importantly, my family is happy here. My wife likes it and my son talks with a Glaswegian accent. He doesn't know anything else.

"He was only two weeks old when we came. And it's the real thing, not like Morten Wieghorst's." The son is called Jordan, but named after Larsson's hero Michael, not Joe. And Jordan Larsson does not qualify for Scotland.

But that is about the worst thing about Henrik Larsson in Scotland. Last weekend he delivered another joyous message for Celtic - and the SPL's credibility. "I have said I will end my career with Celtic, and that's that," he said. "Then I will move back to Helsingborgs with my family, no doubt about it."

In some, such certainty is off-putting. But in strikers it is essential. There is nothing tongue in cheek about Henrik Edward Larsson.