Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral has been held in the former England manager’s home locality of Torsby in Sweden, with David Beckham and Roy Hodgson among 600 mourners to attend the service on Friday morning.
Eriksson died aged 76 on August 26, having announced in January that he had been given “at best” a year to live in a cancer diagnosis.
Eriksson’s 95-year-old father, Sven, and children, Lina and Johan, saw his coffin placed into a hearse and taken through a guard of honour on its way to a local museum for speeches and eulogies.
England’s first foreign manager, Eriksson made midfielder Beckham his captain as part of a reign that took the Three Lions to the quarter-finals of three consecutive major tournaments.
Hodgson was one of Eriksson’s successors in charge of the national team, taking England to Uefa Euro 2012, the 2014 Fifa World Cup and Euro 2016.
Sven-Göran Eriksson, 1948-2024. pic.twitter.com/gdpbyg2BJU
— England (@England) September 10, 2024
Sven-Goran Eriksson career
After leading England between 2001 and 2006, Eriksson went on to manage Manchester City for the 2007-08 season before taking over as Mexico boss.
He also led Leicester City and took three roles with Chinese clubs, as well as spells in charge of Ivory Coast and the Philippines.
Eriksson began his career in his homeland, where his achievements included winning the Uefa Cup with Goteborg in 1982, and collected a haul of trophies with Benfica, Roma, Sampdoria and Lazio before taking the England job.
A minute’s silence in Eriksson’s honour was held before kick-off when England hosted Finland at Wembley Stadium in the Uefa Nations League on Tuesday.
We 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.
Rest in peace, Sven. 🩵
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 26, 2024
An Amazon Prime Video documentary dedicated to his life and career, ‘Sven’, was released on August 23 and demonstrated his popularity with his friends, colleagues and players and football fans.
The likes of Beckham and striker Wayne Rooney, who took part in the documentary, appreciated Eriksson’s charisma, calm demeanour and man management, among the trailblazing coach’s qualities.
The film charts Eriksson’s globe-crossing, trophy-winning career with the help of the likes of Roberto Mancini and Kasper Schmeichel.
“Don’t be sorry,” Eriksson reflects in the documentary. “Smile. Remember the good times. It’s sad but it’s beautiful.”
