suffering from incurable cancer, Sven-Goran Eriksson realizes his “dream” of coaching Liverpool for a match – Libération

2024-03-23 16:27:57

Ex-England football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who suffers from advanced pancreatic cancer, led a team of former Reds stars in a charity match , this Saturday March 23.

Big emotion at Anfield stadium. Former England football team manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who suffers from advanced cancer, has fulfilled his “dream” of coaching the Liverpool team for a match charity event, this Saturday, March 23. The 76-year-old Swede entered the pitch all smiles, where the crowd brought out a sea of ​​red scarves and stood up singing the club anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone, before kick-off.

He then took his place on the bench, along with former players Ian Rush, John Barnes and John Aldridge, to lead a team of Liverpool “legends” including Jerzy Dudek, Martin Skrtel, Steven Gerrard – to whom a young streaker is who came to grab a selfie during the match – and Fernando Torres, facing a selection of ex-Ajax Amsterdam players.

“It’s like a dream,” commented Sven-Goran Eriksson on Friday in the pre-match conference. “When I was a manager, I always dreamed of Liverpool but it never happened. It was close once, discussions took place several years ago. It never happened. But now it’s happening,” he noted.

“At best a year” to live

The former England coach, quarter-finalist at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups with the Three Lions, revealed in January that he had “at best a year” to live after being diagnosed him with incurable pancreatic cancer. He spoke at the time of his unconditional love for Liverpool before expressing his regret at not having been able to coach them.

The Mersey club did not remain indifferent and offered him to lead a team of former glories during a meeting organized in favor of the founding of Liverpool. “When they asked me, I thought it was a joke. I said of course, and plus it’s for charity, which makes the experience even better,” he commented on Friday.

Eriksson explained that his love for the Reds came from his father, himself a fan. He said he wrote to Liverpool around 1979, when he was still a young manager in Sweden, to watch training. “I saw a match and a training session, I had the privilege of entering the Boot Room (a now legendary room in which Liverpool coaches discussed tactics at that time, editor’s note). It was great, fantastic.” And, from now on, he will have had the privilege of occupying the sidelines for a match.