Sven-Goran Eriksson, the Swedish soccer coach known for being the first foreign manager of the England national team, passed away on Monday at the age of 76. He was surrounded by his family in his home, as confirmed by his agent, Bo Gustavsson.
Eriksson’s death comes eight months after he publicly shared that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had a prognosis of no more than a year to live. This news sparked an outpouring of love and tributes from former players and clubs. In response, a biographical documentary was made, and Eriksson was honored with a special invitation from his beloved Liverpool, where he was invited to manage a charity match.
Affectionately nicknamed “Svennis” by fans in Sweden, Eriksson had a brief playing career that lasted nine years before he retired at just 27 to pursue coaching. His career took off when he became the England manager in 2001.
In a remarkable start, he transformed an underperforming England squad into a winning team, famously defeating Germany 5-1 in a World Cup qualifying match in Munich.
Eriksson coached what many called a “golden generation” of English talent, including stars like David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, and Wayne Rooney. He led the team to the quarterfinals in both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, where they were eliminated by Brazil and Portugal, respectively.
In addition to the World Cups, Eriksson also managed the England squad during the 2004 European Championship, where they were again eliminated in the quarterfinals by Portugal after a penalty shootout, similar to the outcome at the 2006 World Cup.
Eriksson’s time as England’s manager was marked not just by matches, but also by significant media attention regarding his private life. He had two notable public relationships — one with Swedish television presenter Ulrika Jonsson and another with his secretary at the Football Association, Faria Alam — which kept tabloid newspapers buzzing.
Reflecting on his experience, Eriksson remarked in 2018, “My private life was not very private in England.” His era also coincided with the rise of the WAG (wives and girlfriends) culture, highlighted by the attention garnered by partners of players, such as Victoria Beckham, especially after Eriksson permitted them to attend the World Cup in Germany.
After his time with England, Eriksson had brief managerial roles with national teams in Mexico, the Ivory Coast, and the Philippines, although he only secured silverware during his club management. In Sweden, he led IFK Gothenburg to a league and cup double in 1982, adding the now-discontinued UEFA Cup to his accolades that season.
During his two-year tenure with Benfica in Portugal, Eriksson claimed back-to-back league titles and won the Portuguese Cup. He later achieved great success in Italy, first with Roma, Sampdoria, and Fiorentina, before becoming a prominent figure at Lazio, where he won several titles, including a league championship in 2000 and the last-ever European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999.
Despite strong performances, Lazio narrowly missed out on the Serie A title in 1999, losing by a single point to AC Milan. Eriksson described this period as the most rewarding of his career, as he collected seven trophies over four years while Lazio enjoyed financial backing from owner Sergio Cragnotti.
After leaving Lazio for England, Eriksson also managed Manchester City (2007-08) and Leicester City (2010-11), along with a brief role at fourth-tier club Notts County. His later coaching career brought him to China, where he managed Guangzhou and Shanghai SIPG, and he held a position as sporting director at Karlstad, a Swedish third division team.
In February 2023, Eriksson announced that he would step down from his role for health reasons. His terminal cancer diagnosis was publicly revealed later that year when he told Swedish Radio, “At best I have maybe a year, at worst maybe a little less.”
Despite the difficult news, he maintained a positive outlook, saying, “I could go and think about it all the time and sit at home and be grumpy… No, look at things positively and don’t wallow in adversity. Because this is, of course, the biggest setback.”
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Jan M. Olsen contributed to this report from Copenhagen, Denmark.
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