Terminally Ill Sven-Goran Eriksson Says Goodbye via a Heartbreaking Video

Former England soccer coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has made a poignant video to say goodbye to the game’s supporters as he faces imminent death. The 76-year-old Swede announced his terminal cancer diagnosis in January and said that he had a year left to live, at best. Eriksson managed the English men’s soccer team between 2001 and 2006. 

The new video, which appears at the end of an Amazon Prime documentary about his life, was recorded at Mr. Eriksson’s home in Sunne, Sweden. The coach said he had a good life but acknowledged that humans have a great fear of death, and he is scared of what is to come. However, he concluded, “Life is about death as well.” 

The documentary focuses primarily on Eriksson’s time leading the England team, during which he oversaw the development of prominent global stars, including David Beckham. The first foreign-born England manager, Eriksson led the team through the 2002 World Cup, where they lost out to eventual champions Brazil in the quarter-finals. Two years later, in the UEFA European Championships, England again crashed out in the quarters, losing in a penalty shootout to Portugal. 

While the Swede is best known for his years with the England team, he has also made headlines due to his often complicated romantic life. Eriksson had a long-term relationship with fiery Italian lawyer Nancy Dell’Olio but famously had numerous affairs behind her back. One of his covert relationships was with Swedish-born British TV star Ulrika Jonsson – a union that provided much fodder for the UK’s notorious tabloid press. 

Dell’Olio forgave Mr. Eriksson for his relationship with Jonsson, and when he had a second affair with Football Association secretary Faria Alam in 2004, the attorney still did not walk away. The relationship sustained for three more years until they finally parted ways in 2007. 

Speaking about his frequent presence in the tabloid papers during his England career, Eriksson said he wasn’t prepared to put his life under a microscope and had significant regrets. “I don’t think it damaged my football results. But my image outside football it damaged, yes,” he said. 

Mr. Eriksson recalled apologizing to his players for the unflattering media coverage, and remembered that they simply said, “Welcome to England,” and never mentioned it again.