TEAR-JERKING
Sven-Goran Eriksson says his heartbreaking final goodbye on film – before sharing where he wanted his ashes scattered
Scroll down to take a look at Eriksson's remarkable managerial career
SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON said his heartbreaking final goodbye on film - before sharing where he wanted his ashes scattered.
The terminally-ill former England and Man City manager passed away today after revealing in January that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
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The late 76-year-old's life was chronicled in a documentary released on Amazon Prime Video last week.
The director of Sven's film described how the former footballer left those working on the project in tears as he recorded his final goodbye in a room alone without a cameraman.
Claudia Corbisiero said: "He was always open, but I think it just took time to get him to be really open about his illness and the way he felt about it.
"Sven also really wanted to make sure that this wasn't only a sad story.
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"And that was something that he was really keen on, is 'I don't want this to be a boo hoo. I'm dying' thing."
Sven also opened up about where he wanted his ashes to be spread.
On a visit to Fryken lake, near Sunne, Sven even admitted it could be his final resting place.
Pointing at the lake, he said: "I always thought it's a great place to sleep.
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"The ashes could be thrown into the water here. It feels like home."
Sven had been too ill to fly to London earlier last week to promote the documentary.
Heartbreaking moment Sven-Goran Eriksson opens up on where Ex-England boss wanted his ashes spread
His daughter Lina tragically revealed on stage in London he was "deteriorating quite quickly".
The ex-England manager had given a final message to former players, coaches and supporters after speaking openly about his affairs and life in the film.
In a touching clip at the end of the documentary, Sven told viewers: "I had a good life.
"I think we are all scared of the day when we die, but life is about death as well. You have to learn to accept it for what it is.
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"Hopefully, at the end people will say, yeah, he was a good man, but everyone will not say that.
"I hope you will remember me as a positive guy trying to do everything he could do. Don't be sorry, smile.
"Thank you for everything, coaches, players, the crowds, it's been fantastic. Take care of yourself and take care of your life. And live it."
The film then pans back to Sven in his home with the former England manager concluding his message with "bye".
Sven-Goran Eriksson's managerial career
FOLLOWING Sven-Goran Eriksson's death from his battle with cancer, SunSport takes a look at his remarkable managerial career...
PROMISING START
It began in Sweden in 1977 where he won the third division with Degerfors, before he joined Gothenburg and won two Swedish Cups and the Uefa Cup.
He then took over at Benfica in 1982 and spent two seasons with the Portuguese giants where he won back-to-back league titles.
INCREDIBLE ITALIAN SUCCESS
Stints followed in Italy with Roma and Fiorentina, but he returned to Benfica in 1989 and reached the European Cup final before losing to AC Milan.
Eriksson claimed a third league title with Benfica the following year, leaving in 1992 for Sampdoria.
He spent five seasons with the Serie A side, winning the Copa Italia in 1994.
Eriksson then added another two Coppa Italias to his trophy cabinet with Lazio across a four-year spell.
ENGLAND APPOINTMENT
Then came the England job in 2001 where he spent five years at the helm of the national side.
He reached the quarter-finals of World Cup 2002, losing 2-1 to eventual winners Brazil.
England then suffered back-to-back eliminations at the hands of Portugal at Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006.
PREMIER LEAGUE SPELLS
After leaving the Three Lions following his third major tournament, he spent one season at Manchester City.
Spells followed at Mexico, Ivory Coast and Leicester, before he moved to China where he coached three clubs across a four-year period.
His last managerial stint came for the Philippines national team, a position he held from October 2018 to January 2019.
MAJOR HONOURS
Portugal League title x 3 (Benfica 82/83, 83/84, 90/91)
Copa Italia x 4 (Roma 85/86, Sampdoria 93/94, Lazio 97/98, 99/00)
Serie A title (Lazio 99/00)
Uefa Cup Winners' Cup (Lazio 98/99)
Uefa Super Cup (Lazio 99)
BBC Sports Personality Coach of the Year (England 2001)
In another moving scene, son Johan and daughter Lina shared the moment they were told about Eriksson's health condition.
Johan said: "I had 10 missed calls from my sister, 'Dad's in the emergency room'.
"He's not in a good way. You can kind of tell when the doctor's in tears that… not good. Worst possible news."
Lina continued: "We found out that he had had five strokes and then you go into a state of fear. A panic mode."
Eriksson noted: "One day, I woke up and I felt dizzy. Yeah, it's cancer I have and that's it.
"The medicine, we don't know what's going to happen. I'm sort of scared.
"It takes time, a little bit of time before you can accept it. I'm still here."
In the documentary, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney also paid tribute to their former boss.
Becks said: "I loved him from day one. He made me captain. The confidence he had in me was so important.
"The way he protected the players, the way he treated the players, it was a breath of fresh air."
After falling ill, Sven spent almost all his time at his Swedish home in Sunne and had reconnected with his family.
Eriksson took charge of 67 England matches between January 2001 and July 2006, winning 40 games.
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He also had successful club spells with Benfica, Roma and Lazio.
And he managed twice in England with Man City and Leicester.
"Sven was a good coach... better than he seems, says SunSport experts"
SunSport's Shaun Custis and Martin Lipton discussed Sven-Goran Eriksson's England legacy following his death aged 76.
Custis: "He was the most polite, civil manager I’ve ever dealt with in my life."
Lipton: "There are many managers who are prone to paroxysms of aggravation and screaming matches.
"You can’t imagine Sven ever raising his voice, let alone having a row with someone. He was a gentle man and a gentleman throughout his dealings with us certainly. And I think that always came across from the very outset.
"He was clearly a quite calm, unflappable character and he wasn’t going to let anything perturb him no matter what it was. No matter what questions were thrown at him, no matter what stick he got. He had this veneer of utter tranquillity."
Custis: "There was a lot of mystery to him. You weren’t reading things about him every two minutes online as you would do now but he came in and he got off to a great start with that 3-0 win over Spain."
Lipton: "He just loved being around football, didn't he that was the thing.
"He didn’t want to give it up… He actually, genuinely loved being around football players, being a manager and all the trappings of that and just being important. Because he enjoyed being Sven-Goran Eriksson - football manager."
Lipton: "He brought back a belief in the England team in that period, he gave us a night we’ll never forget and oversaw the real change in the culture of English football in that it became more celebrity in many ways.
"The players became bigger than they’d ever been and he managed to keep that under a degree of wraps… He was a better manager than I thought he was at the time."