Hibs hero sends message after Easter Road return as he reflects on his iconic moment people have tattooed
The Hibs hero has forged an impressive career for himself in Italy.
People have etched his famous moment in tattoo form, and Liam Henderson has only good things to say about Hibs, 10 years on from Scottish Cup glory.
The midfielder spent a memorable season on loan in Leith from Celtic in the 2015/16 season. He whipped in the famous corner that David Gray headed home, as Hibs downed Rangers 3-2 in the showpiece domestic clash, clinching cup glory for the first time in over 100 years. Now 30, Henderson has forged an impressive career in Italy since moving to Bari in 2018.
He is at Sampdoria currently but was back at Easter Road last week for a 10th anniversary dinner to celebrate the Scottish Cup success alongside legends like current head coach Gray, Paul Hanlon and Lewis Stevenson. Tattoos of commentary from the day being etched in ink is still hard to believe as the match remains one of his best-ever games in football.
What has Liam Henderson said about Hibs?
“It was a fantastic loan spell for me, and I loved every moment of my time at Hibs,” said Henderson. “My Grandad is a big Hibs supporter, and it was the best place for me to develop my career at that moment in time. I shared a room with Kevin Thomson, and he always gave me a lot of advice.
“I knew I wasn’t going to start in the Scottish Cup final, but I took his advice and came on with a positive attitude and was able to influence the game. We’d targeted set-pieces as one of Rangers’ weaknesses, and I was able to put the ball on their (Anthony Stokes and David Gray’s) heads.
“There’s obviously the famous phrase ‘It’s Liam Henderson to deliver', and I’ve seen people with it tattooed on them, which is a bit crazy! It’s definitely up there with the best memories of my career, and it’s a moment I’ll cherish forever.”
Niklas Gunnarsson on Hibs
Another who’s time at Hibs was shorter but just as sweet was Niklas Gunnarsson. He spent the second half of the term on loan from Valerenga in his native Norway and the 35-year-old has most recently been playing at Swiss second tier side Yverdon-Sport. He wasn’t in Leith for long but meeting Henderson during an Italian stopover with Palermo helped show him how it special it was.
"It's wonderful to meet my former teammates and coaches again and to be back at Easter Road and in Edinburgh,” said the defender to club media as he returned to Leith. “It’s been a fantastic few days and I’ve enjoyed it a lot. I was very lucky to come to a team with a lot of quality, as I’d taken a bit of a gamble at that point in my career, as I didn’t know much about the Scottish Premiership and was competing with David (Gray) for my place.
“I was told that Hibs are a massive club, have a great stadium and have an incredible fanbase, and once I came here I realised that. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my career and was one of the most enjoyable moments of my career. It was a fantastic dressing room with a lot of brilliant characters, and I was lucky enough to be part of the League Cup and Scottish Cup final, and to be part of that historic moment.
“I remember in the dressing room at Hampden before kick-off the coaches put up some pictures of us with our family members on the walls. That felt like a big moment for all of us and was an extra source of motivation. I’ve played in Sweden and Italy over the last few years and actually played against Hendo (Liam Henderson) while playing in Serie B, so it goes to show that football is a small world! I’m always watching out for the result of Hibs every week, and they’re saved under my favourite teams on LiveScore!”