Former England stars Gary Lineker, Michael Owen, Peter Crouch and Rio Ferdinand today led tributes to Sven-Goran Eriksson following his death aged 76.
Eriksson, who said in January that he had ‘best case a year’ to live following his pancreatic cancer diagnosis, was surrounded by his family as he passed away this morning.
Lineker, who earned 80 caps for the Three Lions, shared Eriksson’s poignant goodbye message from his recent Amazon Prime documentary and wrote: ‘A genuinely lovely guy. Rip Sven.’
Owen, who famously scored a hat-trick during England’s memorable 5-1 victory over Germany under Eriksson’s leadership, wrote on X: ‘Rest In Peace Sven-Göran Eriksson. One of the very best and a man who will be sadly missed by everyone in the world of football.’
Crouch said he would be ‘forever grateful’ to the Swede for giving him his England debut when ‘plenty doubted it’, while Ferdinand shared two pictures of him being coached by Eriksson accompanied by the caption: ‘RIP Boss.’
England are set to remember their first foreign manager at Wembley during their UEFA Nations League match against Finland on September 10.
Football Association CEO Mark Bullingham said today: ‘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.’
Prince William, who is the president of the FA, also paid tribute, describing the ex-England boss as a ‘true gentleman of the game’, while Three Lions captain Harry Kane praised him as ‘well liked and respected’.
Sven-Goran Eriksson in a recent Amazon Prime documentary about his life, entitled ‘Sven’
Sven-Goran Eriksson with his partner Yaniseth Alcides in Stockholm, Sweden, on January 22
Sven was given his lifelong dream to manage a Liverpool legends side at Anfield in March
Gary Lineker shared Sven’s poignant goodbye message and wrote: ‘A genuinely lovely guy.’
Michael Owen led tributes today to Sven-Goran Eriksson. He famously scored a hat-trick in England’s thumping 5-1 win over Germany which was masterminded by the Swede. He is pictured scoring one of his three goals
Owen hailed Eriksson as ‘one of the best’. They are pictured here together during a training session in Lisbon
Tributes are pouring in following the death of Sven-Goran Eriksson aged 76
‘Sad to hear about the passing of Sven-Goran Eriksson, the Prince of Wales said. ‘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.’ He signed off the post with a ‘W’ for William.
After announcing his cancer diagnosis, Eriksson was granted his lifelong wish when he led out Liverpool Legends for a charity match against Ajax at Anfield in March. He described the moment as ‘absolutely beautiful’ and a ‘huge memory’ in his life.
Liverpool were among a number of Premier League clubs to pay tribute today, writing: ‘Rest in peace, Sven-Göran Eriksson. The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Sven’s family and friends at this extremely sad time. ‘
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer penned: ‘Deeply saddened to hear that Sven-Goran Eriksson has passed away. He will be remembered for his tremendous contribution to English football which brought joy to so many over the years. Our thoughts are with his family.’
Eriksson became the first foreign manager of the England national team in 2001, taking charge of 67 matches until 2006. He led the talented squad to quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, and at the 2004 European Championships.
He also managed Swedish, Portuguese and Italian clubs, winning major trophies in the 1980s and 1990s before taking on the England job.
Eriksson’s children Lina and Johan issued a statement shortly after their father’s death was announced.
‘Our father Sven-Göran Eriksson fell asleep peacefully in his home at Björkefors outside Sunne this morning,’ it read.
‘He has for a long time fought bravely with his illness, but now it came to an end.
‘Our thoughts go out to Sven-Göran’s father Sven; girlfriend Yaniseth and her son Alcides; to his brother Lasse and wife Jumnong, as well as to all good friends and acquaintances in Sweden and around the world.’
They added: ‘Dad told us at the beginning of this year about his serious illness and received an amazing response from friends and football fans around Europe.
‘He was invited to several football teams in England, Italy, Portugal and Sweden. They shared their love for football and for dad.
‘It was unforgettable for both him and us. He expressed his appreciation and joy and stated that such beautiful words are usually only uttered when someone has died.
”I get to hear it while I’m alive and I’m incredibly grateful for that. The heart beats twice and the tears come. I have had the best job in the world and I was happy every day for long periods. It’s been fantastic,’ he said.’
Lina and Johan expressed their gratitude for the ‘wonderful meetings between him, football and all his friends’.
‘We thank everyone for these positive memories and your support during his illness,’ their statement continued.
‘We hope that you will remember Svennis as the good and positive person he always was both in public and at home with us.’
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 managed a ‘golden generation’ of players with England, including David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard .
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.
Bo Gustavsson, an agent in Sweden who worked with Eriksson, said in a statement issued today: ‘Sven-Goran Eriksson has passed away.
‘After a long illness, SGE died during the morning at home surrounded by family.
‘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. Condolences and greetings can be left on the website www.svengoraneriksson.com.’
Sven-Goran Eriksson alongside England’s Wayne Rooney at the 2006 World Cup in Germany
Prince William speaks with England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson on the team bus in June 2006
Sven-Goran Eriksson at a match between Liverpool and Ajax Legends at Anfield on March 23
Sven-Goran Eriksson with Steve McClaren and Tord Grip in Munich in September 2001
Eriksson’s life and career is the subject of a new Amazon Prime documentary which was released on Friday.
In it, the Swede talked about how he hoped to be remembered.
‘I hope you will remember me as a positive guy trying to do everything he could do,’ he said.
‘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.’
The England fans’ group Free Lions were among the first to pay tribute, posting on X: ‘RIP Sven. For the night in Munich, amongst everything else, thank you for the memories.’
Sven-Goran Eriksson speaks with then-prime minister Tony Blair at Downing Street in 2006
Sven-Goran Eriksson at a match between Liverpool and Ajax Legends at Anfield on March 23
That was a reference to England’s incredible 5-1 victory over Germany in Munich in a World Cup qualifier back in September 2001.
After starting his coaching career in his homeland with Degerfors and IFK Gothenburg, Eriksson took over at Benfica in 1982 and led them to three Portuguese top-flight titles and a runners-up finish in the UEFA Cup before guiding Lazio to their second and most recent Serie A triumph in 1999-2000.
Eriksson then became the first foreign-born England manager when he succeeded Kevin Keegan in January 2001, taking charge of the country’s so-called golden generation.
Despite a wealth of talent to call upon including Beckham, Gerrard and Rooney, Eriksson was unable to guide the team beyond the quarter-finals at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups or Euro 2004.
Sven-Goran Eriksson speaks to captain David Beckham during Euro 2004 in Lisbon, Portugal
His globe-trotting career since leaving the England job took in stints at Manchester City and Leicester, plus the Mexico and Ivory Coast national teams, as well as a spell as Notts County’s director of football.
He oversaw the fortunes of Chinese Super League sides Guangzhou R&F, Shanghai SIPG and Shenzhen between 2013 and 2017 and his final managerial post was with the Philippines from October 2018 to January 2019.
He stood down from his most recent role as sporting director at Swedish club Karlstad in February 2023 due to health issues.
After being diagnosed with cancer, Eriksson disclosed he had suffered ‘five strokes in one day – small ones’ but said: ‘My memory is a little worse but otherwise I think I am rather with it.’