Sven-Goran Eriksson, the first foreign manager of England’s men’s national team, has passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
He was 76.
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Eriksson passed away at 76
A family statement shared by Eriksson’s former agent, Bo Gustavsson, said the coach died peacefully at his home.
“I have been fascinated by him for a long time, he has always been so positive and has had time for others and never thought of himself, and he was that until the very end,” Gustavsson said.
Meanwhile, his two children, Lina and Johan, thanked everyone who sent their well-wishes to their father.
“We have shared his gratitude and got to experience the wonderful meetings between him, football and all his friends. We thank everyone for these positive memories and your support during his illness.”
They added: “We hope that you will remember Svennis as the good and positive person he always was both in public and at home with us.”
Storied coaching career
Eriksson gained recognition by guiding Swedish club IFK Gothenburg to the UEFA Cup title 1982.
He then joined Benfica, leading the club to two Portuguese league titles before spending 16 years with four Serie A clubs.
He had stints with AS Roma, Fiorentina, and Sampdoria but found massive success in Lazio, where he steered the club to a Serie A championship in 2000.
After resigning from Lazio in 2001, Eriksson took over as England’s coach, becoming the first non-British manager to lead the men’s national team.
From there, he immediately took charge of a team dubbed the “Golden Generation,” working with stars like David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, and Rio Ferdinand.
The Swedish coach led the team to two World Cups and one European Championship.
However, England suffered back-to-back defeats from Portugal in penalty shootouts at the quarterfinal stages of EURO 2004 and World Cup 2006.
Eriksson had other spells with Manchester City, Mexico, Notts County, Ivory Coast, Leicester City, and China.
The Swede capped off his managerial career after a four-month stint in the Philippines.
Overall, Eriksson managed 12 clubs and won 18 trophies.
After the diagnosis, Eriksson spent his remaining days visiting some of his former clubs, including Lazio and Sampdoria.
England FA pays tribute
English Football Association’s (FA) CEO Mark Bullingham paid his respects to the legendary coach.
Bullingham also confirmed that England would pay respect to Eriksson at their game against Finland in September.
“This is a very sad day,” he said in a statement.
“He gave all England fans such special memories. No one can ever forget the 5-1 victory in Munich against Germany under Sven’s guidance.”
“Sven will be rightly recognised and forever remembered for his significant work with the England team, and for his wider contribution to the game.”
