Wembley pays emotional tribute to Sven-Goran Eriksson
- England hosted Finland in the Nations League on Tuesday evening
- It was the first match at Wembley since the passing of Sven-Goran Eriksson
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There were moving scenes at Wembley on Tuesday night as former England manager Sven Goran-Eriksson was remembered at the first Three Lions home game since his death.
Eriksson passed away on August 26 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, with countless tributes paid to the Swede.
He had revealed in January that he had ‘best case a year’ to live following his diagnosis and was surrounded by his family as he passed away.
A tribute video was shown on the big screens as fans in attendance for England’s Nations League clash with Finland took part in a minute’s applause.
The clip showed Eriksson discussing his pride at being England manager alongside some of the memorable moments under his leadership
The England players wore black armbands on the night while the front page of the match programmed was also dedicated to him.
Eriksson became the first foreign boss of the England national team in 2001, taking charge of 67 matches until 2006. He directed the talented squad to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, and at the 2004 European Championships.
‘Svennis’, as he was known in Sweden, led a ‘golden generation’ of players including David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard.
Eriksson’s tenure was remembered almost as much for what happened off the field as on it – after romances with Italian lawyer Nancy Dell’Olio, Swedish TV host Ulrika Jonsson and former FA secretary Faria Alam during his time as England coach.
Eriksson also managed Swedish, Portuguese and Italian clubs, winning major trophies in the 1980s and 90s before taking on the England job.
After leaving England in 2006, he returned to the World Cup with Ivory Coast in 2010 and also had spells in charge of Manchester City and Leicester during a lengthy career.
