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Former England coach Sven-Göran Eriksson died on Monday at the age of 76, his representatives confirmed to CNN.

“Sven-Göran Eriksson has passed away. After a long illness, SGE died during the
“I wish you a morning at home with my family,” it said in a statement.

In January 2024, Eriksson announced that he had terminal cancer and had “about a year” to live, sparking a wave of support from former colleagues and well-wishers around the world.

CNN had previously learned from Eriksson’s entourage that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

“Everyone can see that I have an illness that is not good and everyone assumes it is cancer, and it is. But I have to fight it as long as I can,” Eriksson told Swedish radio station P1, according to Reuters.

Eriksson leaves behind two children: Johan and Lina, whom he has with his ex-wife Ann-Christine Pettersson and his partner Yaniseth del Carmen Bravo Mendoza.

In a statement released after their father’s death, Johan and Lina paid their last respects to their father.

“Papa told us about his serious illness earlier this year and received an incredible response from friends and football fans across Europe. He was invited to visit several football teams in England, Italy, Portugal and Sweden,” they wrote. “They shared their love of football and Papa. It was unforgettable for him and us. He expressed his gratitude and joy and explained that such beautiful words are usually only spoken when someone has died.”

“We shared his gratitude and witnessed the wonderful encounters between him, football and all his friends. We thank everyone for these positive memories and your support during his illness.”

“We hope you remember Svennis as the good and positive person he always was, both in public and in our home.”

The Swede is best known for his time as head coach of the England national team – Eriksson was the first non-Englishman to get the job – and led England’s so-called “Golden Generation”, working with stars such as David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand at two World Cups and a European Championship.

“Of course, sometimes you get lucky, sometimes things go well, sometimes there are injuries, the team doesn’t work and things like that,” Eriksson told CNN Sport’s Amanda Davies in March this year, reflecting on his coaching career.

“It’s a lot of things, but the stress is always there. I loved that stress and I miss it… Football is a drug, especially when you’re really into it.”

The son of a truck driver from Sunne, Sweden, Eriksson played amateur football before his friend Tord Grip persuaded him to swap his boots for a coaching role. At the age of 27, Eriksson joined Grip at Degerfors IF in the Swedish third division as his assistant coach.

At the age of 34, “Svennis” – as he is affectionately called in his home country – had led IFK Göteborg to triumph in the UEFA Cup, today’s Europa League.

This was a time full of “good memories,” Eriksson later said, and it was crucial for the development of his career.

“One of the first trophies I won was with Gothenburg and a few years later we won the trophy in Europe,” Eriksson told Sky Sports in 2020.

“That gave me the chance to leave Sweden and become a professional footballer, because at that time, even though we won the European title, Gothenburg was not yet a fully-fledged professional team. All the players worked part-time and played football half-time,” he explained.

Eriksson soon moved to Portuguese top club Benfica, where he won two league titles and the Portuguese Cup and As Aguias until the 1982/83 UEFA Cup final, where they lost to Belgian club Anderlecht.

After spells at Italian clubs Roma and Fiorentina – as well as a return to Benfica in between, where he led the team to the final of the 1989/90 European Cup – Eriksson returned to Italy, first to Sampdoria and then to Lazio.

With theBiancocelesti,Eriksson led the team into a golden era, winning the Coppa Italia, the Italian Super Cup, the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999 and the club’s second Serie A title in 2000.

Eriksson’s success caught the attention of the English Football Association and soon after, Eriksson became coach of the England national team.

Under Eriksson – at the 2004 European Championship and the 2006 World Cup – England lost twice on penalties to Portugal, both times in the quarter-finals – which earned the coach a lot of unflattering front pages in which England’s tabloids, angry at theThree lionsBecause of his stuttering performances he was called the “Swedish flop” and the “Goldfleece”.

Nevertheless, the job was particularly close to his heart and he told CNN in 2024: “England is special.”

“I don’t know if football was born in England, but more or less… and the Premier League is the best league in the world today,” Eriksson said. “Being England manager is a big, big job… probably the biggest in the world.”

In addition to being coach of the English Premier League team Manchester City for one season, Eriksson has also worked in other countries: in the course of his coaching career spanning more than 40 years, he has coached the Ivory Coast, China, Mexico and the Philippines.

Away from the stands and dressing rooms, Eriksson’s private life was equally newsworthy for the British tabloid press.

“The way they looked at partners is quite sexist and in many cases really not entirely fair,” said American-Italian lawyer Nancy Dell’Olio, Eriksson’s former partner, in a 2014 CNN interview.

“It was quite intrusive and it was independent of my will,” added Dell’Olio. “But when you are next to such an important figure in football, you become absorbed in that role.”

Alleged affairs with TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson and Football Association secretary Faria Alam also received salacious coverage on British front pages, but the Swede didn’t seem to mind. Her reaction to the 2002 uproar was: “My private life is my private life and that’s all.”

In the end, Eriksson reluctantly submitted to the test.

“When you talk about paparazzi and that kind of press, there’s nothing you can do about it,” the Swede told CNN earlier this year. “You have to accept it or go back to Sweden.”

“I said to myself: ‘No, Sven. Don’t give up because of it. Don’t worry, don’t read it and don’t talk about it.’ It’s up to the press whether they want to write about it or not. And in the end, I don’t care at all.”

He was also involved in a “fake sheikh” attack by a Sunday tabloid in 2006: a journalist posing as a wealthy Arab businessman quoted Eriksson as saying he was leaving England and joining Aston Villa.

In 2024, Eriksson wanted to live his life to the fullest. Both he and his father were Liverpool fans and Eriksson said he had “always wanted” to have the chance to manage the club.

Following news of his diagnosis, Liverpool invited the Swede to be part of a Liverpool FC Legends management team alongside Liverpool greats Ian Rush, John Barnes and John Aldridge for a charity football match against Ajax Legends at the club’s Anfield stadium.

Liverpool paid their respects on social media following Eriksson’s death, writing: “Rest in peace Sven-Göran Eriksson. The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Sven’s family and friends at this extremely sad time.”

Prince William, President of the English Football Association, also paid tribute to Eriksson.

“I am saddened to hear of the passing of Sven-Göran Eriksson,” the Prince of Wales wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I met him several times when he was England manager and was always impressed by his charisma and passion for the game. My thoughts are with his family and friends. A true gentleman of the game.”

Many of the teams he coached, including England, expressed their respect on social media. BenficaNotts County, Manchester City, Gothenburg and Lazio.

“I hope you will remember me as a positive guy who tried to do everything he could,” Eriksson said in a documentary about his life released on Amazon Prime Video earlier this month.

“Don’t be sad, smile. Thank you for everything, coaches, players, spectators, it was fantastic. Take care of yourself and take care of your life. And live it.”

This story has been updated with additional information.