Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson succumbed to pancreatic cancer Monday. The much-travelled coach died at 76 at his home surrounded by his family.
A few days before his passing, he spoke about life and death in an Amazon Prime documentary titled ‘Sven.’
“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 a defender during his playing career coached multiple clubs and national teams during 42 years in the dug-out, including Benfica, Lazio and Manchester City.
Eriksson had two successful spells with Benfica, lifting the Portuguese title in 1983, 1984 and 1991 and reaching the European Cup final in 1990.
He also managed Roma, Sampdoria and Fiorentina before joining Lazio, where he won the 1999 European Cup Winners’ Cup, the Serie A title in 2000 and two Italian Cups. But despite his success at club level, the Swede’s two World Cups with England ended in bitter disappointment, with the so-called “Golden Generation” coming up short.
He was almost reaching an agreement with the Nigeria Football Federation to coach the Super Eagles at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but it all ended in disagreement.
Eriksson narrated his ordeal with the NFF in a memoir: “I flew to Abuja, the Nigerian capital, to meet the Nigerian FA and, I thought, to negotiate the job as Nigeria manager.
“I knew the Nigerians had also shown interest in the coach of the Egyptian national team, but I assumed the job was mine if I wanted it. I should not have made that assumption.
“We met at the Hilton Hotel in Abuja. In the meeting room, perhaps ten people were sitting, as if on a panel, behind a table. Right away, they started asking stupid questions.
“After the meeting in Abuja, they told me that half of my salary will be deposited in a special bank which I rejected and that was why I was not given the job.”
Sven Goran Eriksson