Ex-England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson dies aged 76 after being diagnosed with terminal cancer

Sven-Göran Eriksson dies at home surrounded by family

Sven-Göran Eriksson, known by football fans as England manager for five years, has died at the age of 76.

The end came seven months after he revealed that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Sven-Göran Eriksson dies on 26 Aug

Eriksson’s passing was announced on his official website in a statement from his children, Lina and Johan, on Monday (26 Aug).

They said he departed peacefully that morning at his home near the town of Sunne in his native Sweden.

Besides his children, he also leaves behind his father, brother and sister-in-law, girlfriend and granddaughter.

Eriksson’s agent Bo Gustavsson issued a press release saying he was surrounded by family when he died

The family asked for privacy at this time, and for condolences to be left on his website.

He announced terminal cancer in January

In January this year, Eriksson announced that he had terminal pancreatic cancer, with at best a year to live.

It was diagnosed after he collapsed with no warning the day after completing a 5km run.

After vowing to fight it as long as possible, he received an outpouring of support.

He kept himself busy in his last months, writing a book, “A Beautiful Game”, which is due out in November.

An Amazon Prime documentary about his life, titled simply “Sven”, is also out.

Sven-Göran Eriksson managed England for five years

Eriksson’s tenure as England manager began in 2001, when he was hired to become England’s first foreign boss.

Despite outrage from some quarters at his appointment, he got off to a good start, winning his first game 3-o over Spain.

But the high point of his reign was arguably a 5-1 win over Germany during a World Cup Qualifier in September 2001.

During his time as England manager, he led the nation to two World Cups and one European Championship, reaching the quarter-finals each time.

He coached players like David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and Gareth Southgate, who followed in his footsteps to become England manager.

However, he left England under a cloud in 2006 after being caught up in a tabloid sting and having stories about his salacious private life splashed across the media.

He won honours with several clubs

While most football fans might know Eriksson best as England manager, he made his mark in club football, having managed a slew of clubs across five countries, including Göteborg, Benfica, Roma, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, Lazio, Manchester City and Guangzhou City Football Club.

At Göteborg, he led them to the Swedish title and the Uefa Cup. At Benfica, he won three league titles and led them to two European finals.

He won the Coppa Italia at Sampdoria and the league title at Lazio.

At Manchester City, which he joined in 2007 after his spell as England manager, he did the double over neighbours Manchester United, who were at the time still the dominant force in English football.

Other national teams he managed later in his career were Mexico, Ivory Coast and the Phillippines.

He fulfilled dream of managing Liverpool in March

In March, Eriksson was in the dugout for the last time when he managed a squad of Liverpool legends for a charity game at Anfield.

This fulfilled his childhood dream of managing Liverpool.

After being welcomed with a standing ovation, his Liverpool team won 4-2 as the Kop sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

In his Amazon Prime show, which aired before his death, he bade farewell to football fans with a poignant message:

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.

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Featured image adapted from svengoraneriksson.com.