SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON was close to tears as he was honoured by IFK Goteborg on his return to the club he once managed.
The 76-year-old is continuing his football tour after revealing the heartbreaking news of his terminal pancreatic cancer in January.
Eriksson returned to Sweden to visit Goteborg, the club which he managed to Uefa Cup glory back in 1982.
The retired tactician was given a heroes welcome at the Gamla Ullevi stadium over 40 years after he helped etch the club’s name in European history.
Eriksson, who won the trophy with players who still had jobs alongside their footballing duties, was paraded out on to the pitch before the club’s 1-1 draw with Norrkoping on Saturday.
The crowd burst into a chorus of chanting towards their former manager when he was brought out on the turf before a touching tifo of a young Eriksson was displayed in one of the stands.
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A banner was also erected that read: “We don’t know when it will end, but we know when it began” while flags were waved in Eriksson’s direction.
The former England manager looked close to tears as he soaked in the love that was show for him by the club he managed from 1979 to 1982.
Eriksson also visited former side Benfica earlier this month, who he took charge of immediately after winning the Uefa Cup with Goteborg.
While he was also given the opportunity to make his dream of managing Liverpool come true when he took charge of a Reds legends team for their charity match at Anfield in March.
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Eriksson, who is a lifelong Liverpool fan, thanked the Merseyside club for letting him live his dream after the match.
He said: “I was crying. To sit on the bench for Liverpool has been my dream my whole life.
“Now it has happened and it was a beautiful day — the crowd, the game, the players, everything.
“Thank you for Liverpool for giving me this opportunity.”
Eriksson has also received overwhelming love from his former England stars including Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole and Michael Owen.
The Swede took charge of England between 2001 and 2006 and was shown a video of heartwarming messages from his former players during the last international break.
Despite revealing earlier this year that he has “at best a year” left to live, Eriksson is in high spirits about life.
Speaking in March he said: “You appreciate waking up in the morning and feeling well and normally you don’t do that. You take it for granted.
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“In the beginning when you get the diagnosis coming from nowhere, it’s like a shock but after a while you learn to live with it.
“Today I have a normal life and I am not thinking about what’s going to happen tomorrow or the day after. Otherwise you sit down and think pity of yourself. No. Leave it.
“I don’t talk about it very much. It is what it is. I can’t beat it, probably. Anyhow, life is beautiful.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
