Stockholm  - Veteran Swedish forward Henrik Larsson is to retire after the end of the Swedish season, his Swedish club Helsingborgs IF said Tuesday.

"At HIF we had of course hoped Sweden's greatest player of all time would play another season, but we respect Henrik's decision," Jesper Jansson, HIF sports director, said.

Larsson, 38, a week ago announced he would retire from the national team after Sweden failed to qualify for the World Cup finals in South Africa next year. He won 106 caps for Sweden, scoring in his 1993 debut against Finland.

In a statement issued via the agency Sport Promotion, Larsson said he was "100 per cent sure" of his decision, adding he was still mulling what to do in future.

The season ends November 1.

Larsson is one of Sweden's most seasoned players with appearances at three World Cup finals (1994, 2002 and 2006) and European championships (2000, 2004 and 2008).

He played for Feyenoord Rotterdam, Glasgow Celtic, Barcelona and in 2007 was briefly on loan to Manchester United from Helsingborgs IF.

He scored 324 goals in 567 league matches. (dpa)