Sven-Goran Eriksson would like to be remembered as “a good man”.
Sven Goran Eriksson wants to be remembered well after his death
The former England manager - who was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer back in January and given less than a year to live under the “best case” scenario - has revealed how he would like to be remembered after he passes away in the new Amazon Prime series ‘Sven’, which explores his feelings about his life and mortality in his native Sweden.
In an emotional farewell message in the documentary, the 76-year-old football coach says: “I had a good life. I think we are all scared of the day when we die, but life is about death as well. You have to accept it for what it is.
“Hopefully at the end people will say, he was a good man but everyone will not say that. I hope you will remember me as a positive guy trying to do everything he could do.
“Don’t be sorry, smile. Thank you for everything, coaches, players, the crowds. It’s been fantastic. Take care of yourself and take care of your life. And live it. Bye.”
Elsewhere in the film, Sven looks back at his life and family on a trip to Fryken lake near his hometown of Sunne in the Scandinavian country.
While standing at the body of water, he ponders: “Beautiful place, it makes you calm. It make me calm. Below the mountain there my father grew up.
“Straight ahead, that is Thornsby where I grew up. And Sunne where I was born.
“I always thought it’s a great place to sleep. The ashes could be thrown into the water here. It feels like home."
The ex KB Karlskoga footballer previously dated former 'Strictly Come Dancing' and 'Celebrity Big Brother' star Nancy Dell'Olio, and has been with partner Yaniseth Bravo, 54, for 15 years.
In the programme - which also features comments from players he has coached such as David Beckham, 49, Wayne Rooney, 38, Roberto Mancini, 59, and Kasper Schmeichel, 37 - Sven opens up on coming to terms with his illness and treatment.
He adds: “Life is not 100 per cent. I’ve had many injections for many months, now they [doctors] changed it to taking pills.
“It is a lot of big effects on the throat and the nose, but that is part of it and I can live with that. But I know life will not last forever. But I am OK."
Tagged in David Beckham Ulrika Jonsson Wayne Rooney