Sven-Göran Eriksson made his mark on football history by managing several teams such as Roma, Benfica, Lazio, among others, as well as leading the national teams of England, Mexico, Ivory Coast, and the Philippines.
Follow Eriksson’s career and his entire contribution to football.
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Eriksson’s Farewell
Eriksson was born in 1948 in Torsby, Sweden, and had recently been battling terminal pancreatic cancer.
The Swedish coach made a farewell statement for a documentary on Amazon Prime Video last week. In January this year, Eriksson stated that he had “at most one year” left to live.
“Hopefully, people will say I was a good man, but not everyone will say that. I had a good life,” he said. “Don’t have regrets. Smile. Thank you for everything, coaches, players, and fans. It was fantastic. Take care of yourselves, take care of your lives, and live. Goodbye.”
He passed away on August 26, 2024, at the age of 76.
Eriksson’s Career
Eriksson began his playing career in 1966 and played as a right-back for Swedish clubs such as Torsby IF, SK Sifhälla, and Karlskoga. He retired early due to a knee injury. He had a short and modest playing career that spanned nine years, retiring at the age of 27.
He got his first job as a coach in 1977, starting as an assistant at Degerfors IF in Sweden before being promoted to head coach.
After finding success at Degerfors, he moved to IFK Göteborg, where he stayed from 1979 to 1982 and really started to make a name for himself. He had a remarkable spell at IFK Göteborg, winning the Swedish Cup twice (1979 and 1982), the Swedish Championship in 1982, and the UEFA Cup (now the Europa League) in the 1981/82 season.
Photo: Icon Sport/Getty Images
With his great performance at IFK Göteborg, he was hired by Benfica, where he had two spells (1982–1984, 1989–1992). In his first stint, he won the Portuguese Championships in 1982/83 and 1983/84 and reached the UEFA Cup (Europa League) final in 1982/83.
He then moved to Italian football, coaching Roma from 1984 to 1987, where he won the Coppa Italia in 1985/86. He later had a stint at Sampdoria without winning any titles.
He returned to Benfica in 1989, staying until 1992. This stint was also successful, with the highlight being reaching the Champions League final in 1989/90, where Benfica lost 1-0 to Milan’s star-studded team. He also won the Portuguese Championship in the 1990/91 season.
The Swede returned to Italian football, achieving great success with Sampdoria and especially Lazio. At Sampdoria, from 1992 to 1997, he won the Coppa Italia in the 1993/94 season.
At Lazio, he experienced one of the most successful periods of his career and in Lazio’s history, winning Serie A (1999/00), the Coppa Italia (1997/98 and 1999/00), the Supercoppa Italiana (1998/99 and 2000/01), the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (1988/99), and the UEFA Super Cup in 1999.
Photo: Getty Images
Between 2001 and 2006, he managed England and reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, as well as the quarter-finals of Euro 2004.
Photo: AFP/PA
In the 2007/08 season, he managed Manchester City, finishing the Premier League in 9th place before being dismissed at the end of the season.
He returned to international football management with Mexico (2008–2009) and Ivory Coast (2010): He also had short stints as the head coach of Mexico and Ivory Coast’s national teams but failed to replicate his previous successes. He managed the African side at the World Cup, but after a disappointing performance, failing to advance past the group stage, he was dismissed in August after the tournament.
He coached Leicester City in England’s second division for a brief period before being dismissed, between 2010/11.
At the end of his career, he ventured into Asian football between 2013 and 2019, coaching clubs in China and the Philippines, including Guangzhou R&F, Shanghai SIPG, and Shenzhen FC, as well as a brief stint as the head coach of the Philippines national team.
Earlier this year, Eriksson had already been diagnosed with terminal cancer and, in the last months of his life, fulfilled his dream of coaching Liverpool. Invited by Klopp, the Swede managed Liverpool legends, who won 4-2 against Ajax.
The match, attended by 60,000 people, aimed to raise donations of food and health products. At the end of the friendly, Eriksson said, “That was beautiful. It made me cry. But I am very happy.”
Eriksson left a great legacy in football, recognized for his meticulous tactical approach and calm, calculated style of play.
Photo: Liverpool FC/via Getty Images
Written by Henry Miller.
