Sven-Goran Eriksson, the former England manager, has announced that he has been diagnosed with cancer and may have just a year left to live. The 75-year-old Swede was the first foreign coach to manage England and led the side to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup and the 2004 Euros. Eriksson, who has had a 42-year career in management, learned of his cancer diagnosis almost one year ago. He decided to stand down as sporting director at Swedish club Karlstad 11 months ago because of his health issues.
Sven-Goran Eriksson is trying to resist his illness for as long as he can. He has an illness that is serious, and the worst-case scenario would be he has a lot less than a year left to live. Eriksson, in an interview with Swedish Radio P1, suggests that it’s better to not think about the time he has left. He is trying as much as possible to live a normal life, despite the diagnosis. “I’m going to exercise as much as possible, which is less than it was one year ago, but I have a normal life,” he said.
Eriksson began his managerial career with Degerfors in 1977 before joining fellow Swedish side Gothenburg, where he won the Swedish title, two Swedish cups and the 1981 Uefa Cup. Eriksson had an extensive career, enjoying two spells with Portuguese giants Benfica as well as Italian sides Roma, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Lazio – where he won seven trophies, including the Serie A title, two Italian Cups and the Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup.
Historically the appointment of Eriksson as England coach was a significant one as he was the first foreign manager to take charge of the team. He led the Three Lions to a famous 5-1 win against Germany in Munich during qualifying for the 2002 World Cup. During his time with the team, Eriksson was has had some ups and downs, with his management being marked by scandal over his private life, including newspapers revealing affairs with television presenter Ulrika Jonsson in 2002 and former Football Association secretary Faria Alam in 2004. Eriksson was appointed to Manchester City a year after leaving his post with England, and he oversaw 45 games before parting ways in June 2008. Eriksson went on to manage several other teams before being diagnosed with cancer.
Manchester City have voiced their support to Eriksson, his family, and friends during this time
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More