Sven-Goran Eriksson has died aged 76.
Sven-Goran Eriksson dies aged 76
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 this morning (26.08.24) following a long battle with terminal pancreatic cancer.
In a statement, Eriksson’s children Lina and Johan said: “Our father Sven-Goran Eriksson fell asleep peacefully in his home at Bjorkefors outside Sunne this morning. He has for a long time fought bravely with his illness, but now it came to an end.
“Dad told us at the beginning of this year about his serious illness and received an amazing response from friends and football fans around Europe.
“He was invited to several football teams in England, Italy, Portugal and Sweden. They shared their love for football and for dad.
“It was unforgettable for both him and us. He expressed his appreciation and joy and stated that such beautiful words are usually only uttered when someone has died.
“We hope that you will remember Svennis as the good and positive person he always was both in public and at home with us.”
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 David Beckham, 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 Kier 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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