PRINCE William has paid a touching tribute to Sven-Göran Eriksson after the former England manager died at the age of 76.
The Prince of Wales, 42, took to social media to express his condolences.
He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “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.”
The Swedish manager revealed in January he had “at best a year” to live after being diagnosed with cancer.
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And his family have confirmed the sad news of his passing in a heartbreaking statement today.
It read: “After a long illness, SGE died during the morning at home surrounded by family.”
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.
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“Our thoughts are with his family.”
Gary Neville was the first former player to pay tribute to Eriksson.
The former England full-back wrote on Instagram: “Rest in Peace Sven.”
Meanwhile FA CEO Mark Bullingham said: “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.”
The Pancreatic Cancer Action charity posted: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of former England manager and football figure Sven-Goran 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 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.
His devastated family have asked for their privacy to be respected so they can mourn in private.
The Swede became the first foreign manager of the England men’s football team in 2001.
He managed superstars such as Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Michael Owen.
Michael Owen was one of many footballers, past and present, paying tribute to Sven.
Posting on X, Owen wrote: “Rest In Peace Sven-Goran Eriksson. One of the very best and a man who will be sadly missed by everyone in the world of football.”
David James, who was installed as England’s first-choice goalkeeper under Eriksson in 2002 and went on to play in every match at Euro 2004, wrote: “I’m saddened by the passing of Sven-Goran Eriksson. He was a gentleman, a great human being and a great manager.”
Eriksson’s former clubs Manchester City, Leicester and Notts County were among dozens to pay tribute after he died at the age of 76.
Eriksson spent one season at the helm of Manchester City in 2007-08 and then had a short spell as Notts County’s director of football before taking charge of Leicester in 2010 – with stints as Mexico and Ivory Coast boss in between.
A statement from City said: “Manchester City would like to express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Sven-Goran Eriksson, who has passed away at the age of 76.
“Flags around the Etihad Stadium will fly at half mast in honour of our former manager. The Swedish coach was in charge of City for the 2007/08 season, which is a campaign fondly remembered by many supporters.”
In a post on social media, Leicester said: “Everyone at Leicester City Football Club is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our former manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson.
“Our thoughts are with Sven’s family and friends at this sad time.”
A post from Notts County said: “We’re tremendously saddened by the passing of our former Director of Football, Sven-Goran Eriksson. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this very sad time.”
Eriksson left the England role after the 2006 World Cup and would later manage a host of clubs at domestic and international level.
Due to his health issues, he was sadly forced to step down as sporting director at Swedish club Karlstad in February 2023.
After announcing his cancer diagnosis, Eriksson was granted his lifelong wish when he led out Liverpool Legends, as they played in a charity match against Ajax at Anfield in March.
Revealing his illness in January, Eriksson told P1: “Everyone understands that I have an illness that is not good.
“Everyone guesses it’s cancer and it is. But I have to fight as long as I can.”
When asked about the prognosis, Eriksson said he has “maybe at best a year, at worst a little less, or at best maybe even longer”.
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He added: “You can’t be absolutely sure. It is better not to think about it.
“But you can trick your brain. See the positive in things, don’t wallow in adversity, because this is the biggest adversity of course, but make something good out of it.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
