Obituary of Sven-Goran Eriksson: Calm, dignified, positive, but never pushy

It was before a Manchester City press conference when a concerned club official entered the room to warn everyone that – and it’s a story that feels relevant now – Sven-Goran Eriksson was as angry as he had ever seen.

Eriksson had taken the City job in 2007, the era in east Manchester before the money started pouring in, as his first appointment in football since ending his time as manager of the England national team.

But the tabloid press had become obsessed with his private life and it was a matter of some intrigue that during his eleven months in Manchester he preferred to occupy the presidential suite of the Radisson hotel rather than take the more conventional route of buying or buy. rent a house.

A photographer had figured out that he could point his lens directly at the hotel bar from the street below, and a series of photos were published on the front page showing Eriksson dancing with a younger woman who was not his partner. It seemed like he was holding her tightly. In the last photo it looked as if his hand had traveled along the small of her back. Who was this mysterious brunette? Was Sven up to his old tricks again?

Well, it turned out to be his daughter and perhaps that says a lot about the scruples of some of the newspapers that had made it their business to spy on his life.

Sven, we had been warned, wanted to tackle it. Apparently he was on the warpath. And ‘we’ in this case refers to the Manchester football writers, who have long been accustomed to having our eyebrows singed by Sir Alex Ferguson’s brutal tongue-lashing, which became known as the ‘hairdryer treatment’.

What we’d never seen was the Eriksson version and, let’s face it, he had every right to be angry as hell. But he didn’t look too angry when he walked in. “Today,” he said, “not good.”

And damn, that was it. He smiled and extended his hand to welcome us all one by one. No shouting, no threats. It was typical Sven: killing everyone with kindness.

Why tell this story now? Well, maybe it tells us a lot about how the man saw life and why the news of his death, at the age of 76, has drawn so many tributes from people who spent time in his company and have their own stories about that beautiful , calm demeanor.

Make no mistake: he was never a pushover, as Ferguson himself could testify from that awkward phone call when Eriksson told him that he was indeed planning to take Wayne Rooney to the 2006 World Cup, completely against the United manager’s wishes. where the player is recovering from a broken metatarsal bone.

In years to come, Eriksson would chuckle at the memory of Ferguson’s X-rated reaction and how the Swede had to hold his phone away from his ear at the worst moments. But Eriksson stood his ground. He refused to be put down and eventually got his way.

More about Sir Alex Ferguson…

No manager with Eriksson’s track record, which includes 18 trophies with clubs in Sweden, Portugal and Italy, could have managed as long in football as he did without a steely lead. He just hid it better than others, maybe.

His first managerial appointment came in 1977 at Degerfors in Sweden. The last was in 2019 with the Philippine national team. In between he had five years in charge of England, one season at Manchester City, a year at Leicester City and seven months as director of football at Notts County, leaving all these jobs in circumstances that would not normally qualify someone as a citizen (overseas) hon. .

And yet it has felt that way for a while, especially since he spoke out about his pancreatic cancer and accepted that he would not win his fight against this cruel, random disease.

Eriksson’s reaction to the news went beyond the sports bubble. It was a reminder that as important as football is, he understood life’s priorities. He was always comfortable in his own skin, but not everyone feels able to speak so publicly and radiate so much optimism when they face death. Not everyone wants to advertise the fact that they are in the last few months and weeks.

Of course he never saw it that way. He wanted to say goodbye. And since Sven was Sven, he also wanted to say thank you. At a time when the internet, football and social media can be a pretty terrible mix, he seemed intent on bringing something different into the homes of complete strangers. His messages had warmth and kindness at the heart of everything.

It was also answered.

If Eriksson had a bucket list, managing Liverpool was on it. He was thrilled when the club he supported as a boy invited him to coach Liverpool in a charity legend against Ajax in March. It was, he said, “absolutely beautiful” to take a seat in the Anfield dugout.

These were just some of the moments in recent times where it felt like a trick of the mind that, in a different era, his presence in English football was seen as an insult by many people.

Eriksson fulfills his ambition as Liverpool manager at Anfield (Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

John Barnwell of the League Managers Association described it as “an insult” to its members when the Football Association confirmed in 2001 that it had invited a non-Englishman to fill the vacancy left by Kevin Keegan’s departure. Gordon Taylor, of the Professional Footballers’ Association, accused the FA of “betraying their heritage”. An infamous column in the Daily Mail stated that English football had decided to “sell our birthright down the fjord to a nation of seven million skiers and hammer throwers who live half their year in darkness”.

The speed at which these opinions changed once England started winning under their new manager was something to behold. Not that the man in question ever seemed too bewildered.

“Sweden had an English coach (George Raynor) in 1958 when they reached the World Cup final,” Eriksson said. ‘Then why wouldn’t a Swede take England? I read the book The Second Most important Job In The Country, which is all about the English managers from 1949 up to Kevin Keegan. It showed that they had all been called idiots at some point, even Sir Alf Ramsey (the 1966 World Cup-winning manager), so I knew what to expect.”

At times he did not help himself, not least when months before the 2006 World Cup he attended a meeting with what he believed was a wealthy businessman, and he admitted that he would be willing to leave the England role to join Aston to lead Villa. The ‘Fake Sheikh’ turned out to be an undercover reporter for the News of the World.

It hurt him that he was with the so-called ‘Golden Generation’, with Michael Owen, David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes and various other A-listers of the time.

The ‘Golden Generation’ fell short under Eriksson’s leadership (Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

Yes, the 5-1 win in Germany in 2001 ranks among England’s best results, but Eriksson, behind the polite smile and owlish glasses, burned with competitive desire. He desperately wanted more, especially when Hurricane Rooney arrived on the scene and started blowing opponents out of the way. It was Eriksson, you may recall, who compared him to Pele.

But ultimately, Eriksson never wanted to be defined purely as a football manager. He led a nomadic life, including roles in China, Thailand and Dubai and national team jobs with Mexico and Ivory Coast.

Even as cancer took hold, he was determined to see more of the world, explore new places and expand his knowledge.

Eriksson receives the applause of fans at another of his former clubs, Lazio, in May (Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)

His home was in Sunne, Sweden, and that’s where he recorded the farewell message that was sent last week. “I’ve had a good life. We all fear the day we die, but life is also about death,” he said.

Looking back now, you are reminded of one of his greatest gifts: his exceptional calm in the most difficult of circumstances. His dignity, his positivity. You could be forgiven for thinking he released it too early. But he had it all planned. He laughs, right at the end.

“I hope you will remember me as a positive man who tried to do everything he could do,” he said. ‘Don’t be sorry. Smile. Thank you for everything: coaches, players, audience, it was fantastic. Take care of yourself and take care of your life. And live it.”

(Top photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images)