David Beckham to lead mourners at Sven-Goran Eriksson's funeral after flying in
Former England captain David Beckham flew in to Sven-Goran Eriksson's home town of Torsby on Thursday ahead of the service to remember the former football boss who died last month
David Beckham and Roy Hodgson have landed in Sweden ahead of Sven-Goran Eriksson's funeral.
The former England captain, 49, landed at the country's Karlstad Airport on a Bombardier Global 6000 private jet shortly after 5pm local time on Thursday. Hodgson had earlier arrived at the same airport on a different plane, alongside Football Association officials, before being met by Sven's son Johan. Asked how he felt about the funeral, Johan said: “It feels surreal, I must say.”
On how the family are preparing for the day, he admitted: “I don’t know. I don’t have a script for this. But tomorrow we celebrate Dad and that’s what he wanted.“
Beckham developed a special relationship with Sven after the Swede made him permanent England captain. He visited his former manager at his home earlier this summer alongside his own chef and a stock of specially selected wines.
Writing on Instagram about the meeting following Sven's death, Becks admitted: "We laughed, we cried, and we knew we were saying goodbye.
"Sven, thank you for always being the same person. I am forever grateful that you made me your team captain. I will forever be grateful that you made me captain but forever also remember these last memories of the day together with you and your family."
It had been reported Victoria Beckham would also be travelling to Sweden alongside her husband, but she was nowhere to be seen when the private plane landed.
The former Man United star stepped out of the aircraft before being driven to passport control in a car. He was later driven out of the airport by a back entrance avoiding a group of around 15 fans hoping for autographs.
Hodgson spoke to journalists on arrival. Speaking about Sven in Swedish, he said: "He was a very good man above all and I think a man who has meant a lot to football and Swedish football. It is a blessing to be able to come to his funeral, even if it is a very cloudy day."
Sven's agent Bo Gustavsson told the Mirror : "It was Sven's will that the church should be open to the public. He lived the last part of his life in Sunne, some 30 minutes from Torsby, where he was treated like a regular citizen.
"Sven was a VIP out in the world, but lived very humble at home in Sunne. He was very warm and caring to everybody and though he was sick the last year, he still cared for other people and did not want to talk about his illness. If I should say one word about Sven I would say that he was a real gentleman."
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
