2024-08-27 07:54:01
New Delhi: Sven Goran Eriksson, the first foreign-born coach of the England football team, has died. He was 76 years old. Sweden’s coach Eriksson, who won trophies in Italy, Portugal and Sweden at the club level, was the coach of the England national football team for five years. Eriksson died on Monday in the presence of his family. His agent Bo Gustavsson gave this information. Eight months ago, he had revealed that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and he had a maximum of one year left to live. After Eriksson’s death, tributes are being paid to him from all over the world, including his former disciples and clubs. Known as ‘Svenis’ in his country, Eriksson had a playing career of nine years and decided to retire at the age of 27.
He then began his coaching career and was appointed coach of England’s national team in 2001. Eriksson guided England’s ‘golden generation’ of players, including David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, to the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, leading the team to the quarter-finals in both tournaments before being eliminated by Brazil and Portugal respectively. England also played in the 2004 European Championship under Eriksson, losing in a penalty shoot-out to Portugal in the quarter-finals, just like the 2006 World Cup.
Sven Goran Eriksson’s managerial career spanned more than four decades, during which he won 18 trophies. It began with Degerfors IFK in Sweden before taking charge of IFK Gothenburg. Eriksson was 30 when he led Gothenburg to the Swedish title and the UEFA Cup in 1982.