Prince William pays touching tribute to Sven-Goran Eriksson as ex-England manager dies
Sven Goran-Eriksson has passed away aged 76 following a battle with cancer, with tributes pouring in for the immensely popular former England boss
Prince William has paid tribute to Sven-Goran Eriksson following the announcement the former England boss has passed away aged 76.
A statement released by the family on Monday, read: "Sven-Goran Eriksson has passed away. "After a long illness, SGE died during the morning at home surrounded by family."
It added: "The closest mourners are daughter Lina; son Johan with wife Amana and granddaughter Sky; father Sven; girlfriend Yanisette with son Alcides; brother Lars-Erik with wife Jumnong. The family asks for respect for their wish to mourn in private and not be contacted."
William, who was named President of the Football Association in 2006, posted on social media: "Sad to hear about the passing of Sven-Göran Eriksson. I met him several times as England manager and was always struck by his charisma and passion for the game. My thoughts are with his family and friends. A true gentleman of the game. W"
Eriksson managed England for 67 matches between 2001 and 2006, guiding the Three Lions to three consecutive quarter finals in major tournaments. He was also in the dugout for one of the national teams most famous victories, when they thrashed Germany 5-1 in Munich in 2001.
The official England football social media account posted: We are deeply saddened that Sven-Göran Eriksson, who managed the #ThreeLions from 2001 to 2006, has passed away aged 76. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.
"Rest in peace, Sven. You will be greatly missed."
FA CEO Mark Bullingham said: "This is a very sad day. 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.
"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."
Following his time with England, he had spells at the likes of Manchester City and Leicester, as well as Ivory Coast and Mexico.
He was most recently working as a sporting director at Swedish side Karlstad, but stepped aside in February 2023 shortly before he confirmed that he had terminal pancreatic cancer.
Well-wishes from around the football world followed the announcement, and Eriksson was even offered the chance to fulfil his dream of managing boyhood club Liverpool at Anfield in a charity match against Ajax.
The Reds tweeted on Monday: "Rest in peace, Sven-Goran Eriksson. The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Sven’s family and friends at this extremely sad time." Eriksson's former club Manchester City said: "We would like to express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Sven-Goran Eriksson, who has passed away at the age of 76. Rest in peace, Sven."
A documentary about the Swede's life was released on Amazon shortly before his death, where he offered a poignant and emotional final message to fans around the world.
“I had a good life," he said. "I think we are all scared of the day when we die, but life is about death as well. You have to learn to accept it for what it is. Hopefully at the end people will say, yeah, he was a good man, but everyone will not say that.
“I hope you will remember me as a positive guy trying to do everything he could do. 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.”
Eriksson won 18 trophies during his managerial career, including a Serie A title with Roma in 2000 and three Portuguese titles with Benfica. He became the first foreign England manager following the resignation of Kevin Keegan and oversaw what many described as a 'Golden Generation' of players.
He immediately turned around the national team's fortunes, who had looked in difficulty to qualify for the 2002 World Cup. The famous win in Germany helped turn the momentum in the group however, and qualification was secured through David Beckham's last-gasp free kick vs Greece.
England then headed to South Korea and Japan as one of the pre-tournament favourites and lived up to their billing, until they were beaten by Brazil in the last eight. At Euro 2004 and the following World Cup, Eriksson saw his much-fancied England side lose to Portugal on penalties on both occasions, with the defeat in 2006 his final match in charge.
A boyhood Liverpool fan, Eriksson was able to toast in the well wishes of the nation, when he fulfilled a lifelong dream to manage the Reds at Anfield. After a push from former players and fans alike, Sven was given the chance to take charge of a Liverpool legends match, beating Ajax 4-2.
He cut an emotional figure in front of the Kop. “I was a little bit crying," he said. "That will be a huge memory in life. To sit on the bench for Liverpool has been my dream my whole life and now it happened. Thank you to Liverpool for giving me the opportunity."
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