Sven-Goran Eriksson left doctor in tears after suffering five strokes at same time

Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson left medics in tears as the severity of his health problems came to light.

The 76-year-old revealed in January that he had approximately a year left to live after being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Eriksson, who led the Three Lions to three consecutive major tournament quarter-finals from 2001 to 2006, is a beloved figure in English football.

After leaving the national team job, Eriksson managed Manchester City and Leicester City, as well as his infamous stint as Notts County's director of football. A larger-than-life character, worries about his health first surfaced when he resigned from his sporting director position at Swedish club Karlstad in February 2023.

The legendary coach's colourful life is the focus of the new Amazon Prime Video documentary SVEN, set to be released on Friday 23 August. In interviews with his two children, his son and daughter explain that the gravity of their dad's condition emerged in the hospital after he collapsed during a 5km run last year.

"I had 10 missed calls from my sister, 'dad's in the emergency room,'" his son Johan Eriksson shared during the SVEN documentary. "'He's not in a good way.' You can kind of tell when the doctor's in tears that...not good. Worst possible news."

"We found out that he had had five strokes and then you go into a state of fear. A panic mode," Sven's daughter Lina Eriksson added.

Speaking about his condition at the start of the documentary, Eriksson shared: "One day, I woke up and I felt dizzy. Yeah, it's cancer I have and that's it." He added: "The medicine, we don't know what's going to happen. I'm sort of scared. It takes time, a little bit of time before you can accept it. I'm still here."

Sven-Goran Eriksson’s son Johan and daughter Lina
(Image: Amazon Prime Video)

Eriksson spoke in January about his diagnosis in more detail, saying: "I thought I was fully healthy but suddenly I had a small stroke so I fell and my children took me to the hospital. After one day of examination they told me I had five small strokes, but said 'no problem, you will recover 100% from that', but worse is they said I have cancer which they can't operate on.

"They said they will give me treatment and medicine to try and live as long as possible. I have that diagnosis and they can't operate, unfortunately."

Despite his diagnosis, Eriksson remained committed to making the most out of every moment left, which led to him realising a childhood dream of managing a team of legends for his boyhood club Liverpool in March. Moreover, he also showed support for Gareth Southgate's England in Euro 2024 and has been uplifted by an array of messages from former clubs and players, with ex-England captain David Beckham visiting him at home.

As the SVEN documentary opens, the former Benfica and Lazio coach reflects upon a life filled with extraordinary moments extending beyond his football career to his colourful personal life. Speaking with a philosophical tone, Eriksson said: "Whoever it is that said life is too short is right. I had a good life.

"It was like a fairytale. You always have good memories, bad memories. It was not a normal life. A lot of things should have been impossible. I had a good life, maybe too good. You have to pay for it."

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