The world of football is mourning the passing of legendary Swedish manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who has died at the age of 76.
The former Manchester City and England manager had been battling pancreatic cancer.
After a wide and successful managerial career around Europe, especially in Italy, Eriksson had six years in charge of England, before being appointed Man City boss in the summer of 2007.
Eriksson got off to a great start at the Etihad Stadium, beating Manchester United 2-0 to go top of the league in August 2007, winning the Manager of the Month award as well. But he was unable to maintain the early form and left at the end of the season.
He went on to coach Mexico and Ivory Coast, before taking over at Leicester City in 2010 while they were in the Championship.
We would like to express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Sven-Goran Eriksson, who has passed away at the age of 76.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 26, 2024
Rest in peace, Sven. 🩵
Eriksson's children, Lina and Johan, issued the following statement: "Our father Sven-Goran Eriksson fell asleep peacefully in his home at Björkefors outside Sunne this morning. He has for a long time fought bravely with his illness, but now it came to an end.
"Our thoughts go out to Sven-Goran's father Sven; girlfriend Yaniseth and her son Alcides; to his brother Lasse and wife Jumnong, as well as to all good friends and acquaintances in Sweden and around the world.
"Dad told us at the beginning of this year about his serious illness and received an amazing response from friends and football fans around Europe. He was invited to several football teams in England, Italy, Portugal and Sweden. They shared their love for football and for dad. It was unforgettable for both him and us. He expressed his appreciation and joy and stated that such beautiful words are usually only uttered when someone has died."
"'I get to hear it while I'm alive and I'm incredibly grateful for that. The heart beats twice and the tears come. I have had the best job in the world and I was happy every day for long periods. It's been fantastic,' he said.
"We have shared his gratitude and got to experience the wonderful meetings between him, football and all his friends. We thank everyone for these positive memories and your support during his illness.
"We hope that you will remember Svennis as the good and positive person he always was both in public and at home with us."
"This is a very sad day. He gave all England fans such special memories. No one can ever forget the 5-1 victory in Munich against Germany under Sven’s guidance.
— The FA (@FA) August 26, 2024
"Sven will be rightly recognised and forever remembered for his significant work with the England team, and for his… pic.twitter.com/UQ0od5qt4K
Man City will fly flags around the Etihad Stadium at half-mast in honour of their former manager, while The FA will pay tribute at England's next home match with Finland on 10 September.
The thoughts of everyone at the Premier League are with Sven's family and friends at this difficult time.
