Former Ivory Coast and England manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson has passed away at the age of 76.
In January 2024, Eriksson disclosed that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, predicting that he had “at best” 12 months to live.
A statement from his family read: “After a long illness, Sven-Goran Eriksson passed away this morning at home, surrounded by family. Those closest to him in mourning include his daughter, Lina; son, Johan with his wife, Amana and their daughter, Sky; father, Sven; girlfriend, Yanisette with her son, Alcides; and brother Lars-Erik with his wife, Jumnong.”
The family has requested privacy during this difficult time and has asked not to be contacted. After revealing his diagnosis, Eriksson expressed regret that he never had the chance to manage Liverpool, a club he had always admired. In response, Liverpool invited him to take charge of a charity match featuring club legends at Anfield in March 2024. Eriksson described the experience as a “memory for life,” and he was moved to tears by the Anfield crowd’s rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
The Sweedish began his career with a short stint as a player in Sweden before transitioning to coaching with Degerfors and Goteborg. His success with Goteborg in the 1981/82 UEFA Cup led to a managerial role at Benfica, where he won two league titles in two seasons. He later managed Roma, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, Lazio, and returned to Benfica before making history in 2001 as the first foreign manager of the England national team.
Under his leadership, England reached the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, as well as Euro 2004, and climbed as high as fourth in FIFA’s global rankings, a significant improvement from the 17th position when he took over.
He also coached Ivory Coast National Team at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Ivory Coast was grouped in Group C against Colombia, Greece and Japan. They won against Japan and lost to Colombia and Greece respectively.
Eriksson’s career also included stints with Manchester City, Mexico, Leicester City, Guangzhou R&F, Shanghai SIPG, Shenzhen, and the Philippines. His transition to more behind-the-scenes roles was cut short by his illness in February 2023.
