Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson was renowned for his fun-loving lifestyle and once gave his assistant coach a hefty tip to impress a hotel singer.
The Swedish coach, who sadly passed away last week at 76 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, had made a name for himself as one of Europe’s top managers during his time with Benfica and Lazio before taking the reins of the Three Lions. His time as England boss ended in 2006 and he jumped back into international management with Mexico two years later.
Despite only managing 13 games, his tenure left a lasting impression on Mexican commentator David Medrano. The broadcaster remembered seeing assistant coach Paco Ramirez carrying wads of cash in an elevator, with Eriksson having sent him to purchase two bottles of wine to charm the hotel singer.
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“The old man (Eriksson) arrived at the JW Marriott hotel in Polanco, a top-notch hotel where he was staying,” Medrano recalled. “He was a ‘dandy’, you never saw the old man looking untidy, always in a suit, very stylish, with ‘Ferragamo’ shoes and an ‘Ermenegildo’ jackets, expensive brands, always well groomed.
“In that restaurant, a Panamanian woman with ‘very good assets’ used to sing. The old man worked his charm on her. How did he do it? I don’t know. And one day, the old man – I have permission to tell this story by the way – he said to Paco Ramírez, who was his assistant: ‘Paco come here, please; go and get me two bottles of wine’.
“The old man, who obviously didn’t know the Mexican currency, had exchanged some US dollars and gave Paco a handful of bills. Paco went down the lift to the lobby and we asked him: ‘Where are you going with so much money?’ I’m not exaggerating, about 80,000 pesos (£3,100). ‘The old man asked me for two bottles of wine’, responded Ramírez.
“He came back down later, after buying the bottles, with another handful of bills saying Eriksson told him: ‘This tip is for the errand boy’. Easily, Paco received about 60,000 pesos (£2,300) as a tip.”
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(Image: RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
Eriksson’s stint in charge of the Mexican squad lasted just 10 months, during which he split six wins and losses in his 13 games at the helm. He was put forward for the role by ex-Chivas supremo Jorge Vergara, who thought Eriksson would be the breath of fresh air the national setup needed. However, the former England gaffer got the boot mid-air in March 2009 post a humbling defeat at the hands of Honduras.
The legendary coach’s next gig was his notorious stint as Notts County’s director of football, where he helped the League Two club sign Sol Campbell and Kasper Schmeichel as part of a doomed plan to reach the Premier League. Eriksson later took the reins of Ivory Coast at the 2010 World Cup and his last role in English football was with Leicester City, departing the Foxes in October 2011.
He held several positions in the then-lavish Chinese Super League and was named Philippines manager in 2018. Eriksson’s final role in football was as sporting director for Swedish side Karlstad before stepping down due to health concerns.
After his cancer diagnosis, Eriksson was honoured by several of his former teams and even managed a team of Liverpool legends, having been a lifelong supporter. Eriksson’s former players, including ex-England captain David Beckham who had previously visited Eriksson in Sweden, led tributes following his death.