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Sad to hear about the passing of Sven-Göran Eriksson. I met him several times as England manager and was always struck by his charisma and passion for the game. My thoughts are with his family and friends. A true gentleman of the game. W
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) August 26, 2024
After the sad news of Sven-Göran Eriksson’s death, his former clubs have been among the first to pay tribute.
Benfica, where he won three league titles across two spells and was a European Cup runner-up in 1990, tweeted: “It is with deep regret that Sport Lisboa e Benfica mourns the death of Sven-Göran Eriksson, at 76 years of age. Rest in peace, Mister.” Fiorentina, where he had a two-year stint between 1987 and 1989, tweeted: “Fiorentina joins the [football] family in mourning the passing of Sven Göran Eriksson.” Sampdoria, where he was manager between 1992 and 1997 and won the Coppa Italia, tweeted “Ciao Sven”, accompanied by a blue heart.
IFK Göteborg, where he won the Uefa Cup in 1982, issued a statement which read: “When Svennis came to IFK Göteborg in 1979, he made a huge impression on Swedish football. Also abroad, he lined up successes with Benfica, Roma, Sampdoria and Lazio – to name a few.
“We remember Svennis for that, but we also remember him for his warmth, curiosity, openness and joy. Thanks for all the memories, Svennis. We will never forget you.”
Sven-Göran Eriksson dies aged 76
Sachin Nakrani
Sven-Göran Eriksson, England’s first overseas manager and winner of multiple honours at club level, has died at the age of 76.
Eriksson revealed in January 2024 that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and that he likely had “at best” about a year to live. He had stood down from his final job, as sporting director at Karlstad in his native Sweden, the previous February because of what he described at the time as “health issues which are under investigation”.
Eriksson’s death was confirmed by Bo Gustavsson, the former Lazio coach’s agent in Sweden, via his UK PR agent, Dean Eldredge of Oporto Sports. Gustavsson said Eriksson had died on Monday morning at home surrounded by family.
Eriksson’s managerial career spanned more than four decades, beginning in Sweden with Degerfors IF before he took charge of IFK Göteborg. Eriksson was 30 at the time and barely known to the players of one of the country’s leading clubs, but he was unfazed and proved a huge success, leading Göteborg to the Swedish title and the Uefa Cup in 1982.
That led to Eriksson being appointed manager of Benfica and, again, he proved a success, winning two league titles and reaching another Uefa Cup final in 1983. This time he was on the wrong side of the result after a 2-1 aggregate defeat by Anderlecht.
Eriksson’s star was on the rise, however. He moved on to Roma and then Fiorentina before returning to Benfica in 1989, leading the Portuguese club to another league title and, in 1990, a European Cup final, where they lost to Milan. That led to a return to Italy with Sampdoria, whom he led to a Coppa Italia triumph in 1994, before a move to Lazio where Eriksson was backed in the transfer market by the club’s wealthy president Sergio Cragnotti and repaid that faith with a Serie A title in 2000. It was only the second time the Rome club had won Italy’s biggest prize.
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