Veteran Swedish football coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, who made history as the first foreigner to manage the English national team, passed away on Monday at the age of 76.
Eriksson, a charismatic figure in the world of football, guided Swedish, Portuguese, and Italian clubs to major trophies in the 1980s and 1990s before taking on the England job in 2001. In January, he announced that he was terminally ill with pancreatic cancer.
His long-time agent, Bo Gustavsson, confirmed that Eriksson lost his battle with cancer early on Monday, surrounded by his family. “We knew it was going to end bad; it all went really fast in the last few weeks,” Gustavsson told Reuters. “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.”
Eriksson’s children, Lina and Johan Eriksson, expressed gratitude to all who supported their father during his illness. They shared a statement from Eriksson: “I get to hear it while I’m alive, and I’m incredibly grateful for that. The heart beats twice, and the tears come. I have had the best job in the world, and I was happy every day for long periods. It’s been fantastic.”
Throughout his illustrious career, Eriksson led England to the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and 2006, as well as the UEFA European Championship in 2004. He managed a golden generation of players, including David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, and Steven Gerrard.
Mark Bullingham, CEO of the English Football Association, paid tribute on social media: “On behalf of my colleagues at the FA, past and present, our thoughts are with his friends and family today. He will be much missed, and we will pay tribute to him when we play Finland at Wembley next month.”
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Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson passes away at age of 76
cgtn.com
