David Beckham will be "forever grateful" that Sven-Göran Eriksson made him England captain.
David Beckham has paid tribute to Sven-Göran Eriksson
The Swedish football manager - who was England’s first foreign head coach and led the country to the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and the Euros in 2004 - was confirmed to have passed away on Monday morning (26.08.24) following a long battle with terminal pancreatic cancer at the age of 76, and now sports star David, 49, has paid tribute.
He wrote on Instagram: "We laughed , we cried and we knew we were saying goodbye... Sven thank you for always being the person you have always been, passionate, caring, calm, and a true gentleman... I will be forever grateful for you making me your captain but I will forever hold these last memories of this day with you and your family... Thank you Sven and in your last words to me...'It will be ok'"
At the time of his death, Sven - who was initially married to Ann-Christine Pettersson and had children Lina and Johan with her - had been in a relationship with Nancy Dell'Olio, and she took to social media to insist that her love for him will "never fade" as she sent condolences to his family.
She wrote: "I will always hold onto those cherished memories and extend my deepest condolences to his family, as well as his beloved children, Lina and Johan. When you love someone, that love never truly fades. Rest in peace, Sven. You will be missed.""
In January, the Swedish football coach revealed his cancer diagnosis and said he had “at best” a year left to live.
He told Swedish Radio P1: “I'm going to resist for as long as I can.
“I have an illness that's serious. Best case a year, I have worst case a lot less. It's impossible to say exactly, so it's better to not think about it.”
As well as coaching the ‘Golden Generation’ - which included, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard - Eriksson had managed 12 clubs like Manchester City, Leicester and Roma, and had won 18 trophies across his managerial career.
Since news of his passing broke, Prince William, patron of the Football Association (FA), has led tributes to the ex-England coach, describing him as a “true gentleman of the game”.
The Prince of Wales said he was “always struck by his charisma and passion”, and concluded: “My thoughts are with his family and friends.”
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer added he was “deeply saddened to hear” that Eriksson had passed away.
He said in a statement: “He will be remembered for his tremendous contribution to English football which brought joy to so many over the years.
“Our thoughts are with his family.”
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