Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson dies aged 76 after pancreatic cancer battle

The Prince of Wales described Eriksson as a “true gentleman of the game”, following the Swede’s death. A statement on Eriksson’s official website confirmed he had died on Monday morning, surrounded by his family.

In January, he had revealed he had “best case a year” to live after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

In a personal tribute posted on X and signed W, Football Association patron William said: “Sad to hear about the passing of Sven-Göran Eriksson.

“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. W.”

Eriksson was the first foreign manager of the English national side, taking charge of 67 matches from 2001 to 2006. He led England to the quarter-finals of three major tournaments in succession, including the World Cups of 2002 and 2006.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “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.”

And the Pancreatic Cancer Action charity posted: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of former England manager and football figure Sven-Göran Eriksson, who bravely shared his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. Rest in peace, Sven.”

Eriksson, 76, had stepped down from his most recent role as sporting director at Swedish club Karlstad in February 2023 due to health issues. In January, the Swede revealed he had “best case a year” to live after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

A statement issued on Monday from Bo Gustavsson, an agent in Sweden who worked with Eriksson, said: “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.”

Speaking at the end of upcoming Amazon Prime Video documentary ‘Sven’ and quoted recently in the Mirror, he said: “I had a good life. 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 became the first foreign England manager when he was appointed in 2001 and subsequently led the team to the quarter-finals of two World Cups and one European Championship.

He was in charge of England for five years before leaving after the 2006 World Cup.

In March, a long-held dream of managing Liverpool was fulfilled when Eriksson took charge of a ‘Legends’ charity match at a packed Anfield.

In January, the former Manchester City and Leicester manager told Swedish Radio P1: “Everyone can see that I have a disease that’s not good, and everyone supposes that it’s cancer, and it is. But I have to fight it as long as possible.

“It’s pancreatic – you can’t operate on it. It can be slowed. I know that in the best case it’s about a year, in the worst case even less. Or in the best case I suppose even longer. I don’t think the doctors I have can be totally sure, they can’t put a day on it.

“It’s better not to think about it. You have to trick your brain. I could go around thinking about that all the time and sit at home and be miserable and think I’m unlucky and so on.

“It’s easy to end up in that position. But no, see the positive sides of things and don’t bury yourself in setbacks, because this is the biggest setback of them all of course.”