Who is Sven-Goran Eriksson? Inside the life of former England manager from triumphs on the field to troubled romances
SVEN-GORAN Eriksson left fans shocked when it was revealed he had terminal cancer.
The former footbal lmanager will talk about his illness in his self-titled Amazon Prime doc. Here we look at his incredible life in the spotlight.
Who is Sven-Goran Eriksson?
Sven-Goran Eriksson was born in Sunne, Sweden, on February 5 1948, and grew up in the region of Varmland.
>He had a modest playing career in the lower echelons of Swedish football, playing most of his career as a right-back for Division 4 outfit Torsby.
After hanging up his boots at the age of 27, he became the assistant of his long-time collaborator Tord Grip at Degerfors, becoming manager in 1977.
The bespectacled Swede got his big break with a move to Swedish giants IFK Goteborg in 1979, clinching the UEFA Cup as part of an historic treble in 1982.
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His success opened up opportunities with some of the giants of European football, and Sven went to enjoy great domestic success.
He won the Portuguese League three times with Benfica and delivered just the second Serie A in Lazio‘s history in 1999/2000, earning the nickname “The Iceman” in Italy.
Eriksson followed up his European success with the Rome club, winning both the Uefa Cup Winners Cup and Uefa Super Cup.
His globetrotting achievements made him the first manager to win league and cup doubles in three countries.
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But his domestic career never quite hit the same heights following his time with England, and he spent five years managing in China after unsuccessful stints with Manchester City and Leicester.
Eriksson became England manager in January 2001, and held the role for over five years until 2006.
His record in charge bears comparison with any of the national team’s bosses in the modern age – he won 40 of his 67 games in charge, only tasting defeat on 10 occasions and drawing 17 times.
Eriksson also took England from 17th in the world rankings at the time of his appointment to fifth when he departed at the end of the 2006 World Cup.
And he won over fans with England’s famous 5-1 win over Germany in 2001.
However, despite overseeing some of the best years of England’s “Golden Generation”, the side failed to make the semi-finals of a major tournament, falling at the quarter-final stage on three consecutive occasions.
It wasn’t his only stint as an international boss, he was also at the helm of Mexico and the Ivory Coast.
What cancer does Sven-Goran Eriksson have?
In January 2024, Eriksson revealed he has pancreatic cancer, and it’s terminal.
He told a Swedish radio station that he has “at best a year” to live.
The doctors said I have cancer which they can’t operate on. hey said they will give me treatment and medicine to try and live as long as possible. I have that diagnosis and they can’t operate, unfortunately.
Sven-Goran Eriksson
Eriksson said: “I thought I was fully healthy but suddenly I had a small stroke so I fell and my children took me to the hospital.
“After one day of examination they told me I had five small strokes, but said, ‘No problem, you will recover 100% from that’, but worse is they said I have cancer which they can’t operate on.
“They said they will give me treatment and medicine to try and live as long as possible.
“I have that diagnosis and they can’t operate, unfortunately.”
Who has Sven-Goran Eriksson dated?
Sven has two children with his first wife, Ann-Christine Pettersson, who he was married to from 1977 to 1994.
He entered a relationship with Italian lawyer and TV star Nancy Dell’Olio in 1998.
However, their romance suffered controversy when it emerged that Sven had a four-month romance with fellow Swedish celebrity Ulrika Jonsson in 2002.
Sven strayed again two years later, having an affair with Football Association secretary Faria Alam which prompted an embarrassing FA scandal.
In an interview with the HISTORY channel Sven admitted that his high-profile love life took its toll.
He said: “I thought I was prepared for England but I was not prepared for things outside football, my private life.
“I am not very proud that fans could probably name three of my former girlfriends.
“I don’t think it damaged my football results. But my image outside football it damaged, yes.”
This year we turned 15 together. And I have hope that we will be together for many more years. I will not lose that hope.
Sven's partner Yaniseth Alcides
Since 2008, Sven has been in a relationship Yaniseth Alcide.
The couple met when Sven was coaching the Mexican national team after quitting England.
Yaniseth features in Sven’s self-titled Amazon Prime documentary.
During the doc, she talks about life since Sven was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.
She tells the documentary: “I try to be calm for him because he is making a great effort.
“This year we turned 15 together. And I have hope that we will be together for many more years. I will not lose that hope.”
How to watch Sven
Amazon Prime documentary Sven chronicles the former footie boss’ life, leading up to his cancer diagnosis.
You will be able to stream it from 8am on August 23, 2024.
The film features people have been close to the ex-England manager over the years, including David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, and Nancy Dell’Olio.
What is pancreatic cancer?
PANCREATIC cancer is the tenth most common type of cancer in the UK and the fifth highest cause of cancer death, according to CRUK.
The disease affects a large gland that is part of the digestive system – the pancreas is located behind the stomach and under the liver.
It has two main functions: dripping digestive enzymes into the gut to help break down food, and releasing the hormones insulin and glucagon to regulate blood sugar.
Pancreatic cancer occurs when malignant – cancerous – cells form in the tissues of the pancreas.
Five signs of the disease that could be mistaken for another condition, or niggle, include persistent stomach ache, backache, indigestion, unexplained weight loss and bowel habit changes.
Other symptoms that might be more obvious include jaundice, difficulty swallowing and vomiting.
Patients may also suffer the symptoms of diabetes because pancreatic disease stops the production of insulin
The causes of the disease are not exactly known but there are several risk factors that can make someone more likely to get the disease.