Former Man City and England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson dies

Monday, 26 August, 2024 

McCreadie Andias 

Former Manchester city and England men's football team manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, died on Monday aged 76. 

Sven also coached Benfica and Italian side Lazio during 42 years in the dug-out. 

Sven-Goran Eriksson became England's first foreign manager during a colourful career marked by title-winning glory, World Cup angst and a heart-warming refusal to be cowed by life's vicissitudes.

But despite his success at club level, the Swede's two World Cups with England ended in bitter disappointment, with the so-called 'Golden Generation' coming up short.

A self-described "distinctly average defender" during his playing career in Sweden's lower leagues, Eriksson blossomed as a manager, with his empathetic and urbane manner earning the loyalty of his players.

His coaching career started with Degerfors in 1977 before he joined fellow Swedish side Gothenburg, where he established his reputation as a pragmatic moderniser by winning the 1982 UEFA Cup.

Eriksson had two successful spells with Benfica, lifting the Portuguese title in 1983, 1984 and 1991 and reaching the European Cup final in 1990.

He also managed Roma, Sampdoria and Fiorentina before joining Lazio, where he won the 1999 European Cup Winners' Cup, the Serie A title in 2000 and two Italian Cups.

Eriksson's success with Lazio convinced England's Football Association to hire him, breaking tradition by looking overseas in a bid to create a winning team after decades of under-achievement.

His reign started promisingly, with a scintillating 5-1 win against Germany in Munich during qualifying for the 2002 World Cup.

But he failed to get the most out of a star-studded team featuring David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen.

It was his failure to solve the riddle of England's midfield that was most costly, with Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes unable to replicate their transcendent club form on the international stage.

In the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals, Ronaldinho's remarkable long-range strike gave Brazil a 2-1 victory, with Eriksson's relaxed approach backfiring for once.

After five years in charge, Eriksson stepped down following the 2006 World Cup despite having two years left on his contract.

"I always thought I did a good job with England. But people at the time didn't think so. They had enough of the Swedish guy only making the quarter-finals," he said.

One inconsistent season at Manchester City in 2007/08 ranked as Eriksson's last significant club role after his England sojourn.

Throughout a peripatetic career the Swede, who also managed Mexico, Ivory Coast and the Philippines, retained the debonair demeanour that charmed so many.

Responding to Eriksson's revelation that he had terminal cancer, Rooney hailed his former boss as "a brilliant coach and a special person - loved and respected by everyone."

Liverpool showed the respect Eriksson was held in when they allowed the Swede to fulfil a lifelong ambition to manage the Reds in a charity match in March, an experience he described as "absolutely beautiful."