The Swedish sports world honored the coach last night at its annual gala. Sven-Göran Eriksson, who two weeks ago announced that he was terminally ill with cancer and that he had a year to live “in the best cases.” “Thank you for everything. I don’t think I deserve all this recognition, but thank you. It’s too much. Thank you for everything. I can’t say anything more,” said the 75-year-old veteran coach in a very short speech as he took the stage to present one of the prizes.
The nearly 2,000 people who filled the auditorium at Stockholm’s Friends Arena stood for about a minute to applaud a smiling Eriksson, who said he would “make him cry.” During the gala, some of his former players intervened to send him tributes, some on video, such as the current England coach, Gareth Southgate, John Terry and Wayne Rooney, whom he coached at the time he to the leader of ‘Three. The group of lions. (2001-2006).
“Everyone loves you and I want to thank you for giving me my England debut so long ago,” said Terry. Rooney thanked Eriksson “for all the help and advice” he gave him and was “sorry” for not being there in person, when he was going through “so much trouble.” “In the best cases, I have a year left. In the worst, less,” he said on the 11th in an interview with the Swedish public radio station ‘Svennis’, the little by which he is known.
Eriksson left last year, citing health problems, his position as sports director of modest Swedish club Karlstad, the final stage of a long and fruitful career that began in the late 1970s in his home country.
After winning the league and a UEFA Cup with Swedish side Gothenburg, he jumped to Benfica, where he won three league titles and from there he moved to Italy, where he spent most of his club career such as Roma, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Lazio, where he won a league, several cups and another UEFA. Eriksson also played in English football (Manchester City, Leicester) and coached England, Mexico, Ivory Coast and the Philippines, in addition to trials in the Chinese and Thai leagues.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
