Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Two Profound Quotes About Life

Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has died at the age of 76. A statement on his official website confirmed that he passed away on Monday morning, surrounded by his family.

The Swede, who had been battling cancer, made history as the first foreign manager of the English national team, overseeing 67 matches from 2001 to 2006. Eriksson managed England’s ‘golden generation’ in the early 2000s and also had successful stints at clubs such as Roma, Lazio, Manchester City, and Leicester City, winning a total of 18 trophies throughout his illustrious career.

Eriksson was a frequent topic in the news during his time in England, not just for his footballing achievements but also for his personal life, which was often under public scrutiny. Nevertheless, he managed to maintain a positive outlook, even in the final months of his life.

In a recently released documentary about his life, available on Amazon Prime, Eriksson bid an emotional farewell to his fans. “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. I had a good life."

He added, "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. Hopefully, at the end, people will say, ‘yeah, he was a good man.’ But everyone will not say that.”

Former Manchester City midfielder Dietmar Hamann shared an anecdote in his book, The Didi Man, about a moment with Eriksson that encapsulates his attitude toward life. During a post-season tour to Thailand in 2008, Eriksson approached Hamann by the pool with a silver tray carrying a bottle of champagne and two glasses. Despite it being early in the morning, Eriksson placed the glasses and told Hamann, “Life, Kaiser. We are celebrating…life.”

This story beautifully captures Eriksson’s philosophy towards both life and football, and it has been circulating widely since his passing.

Earlier this year, Eriksson candidly talked to Swedish radio station P1 about his illness. “Everyone understands that I have an illness that is not good. Everyone guesses it’s cancer, and it is. But I have to fight as long as I can. Maybe at best a year, at worst a little less, or at best maybe even longer. You can’t be absolutely sure. It is better not to think about it.”

The 75-year-old had collapsed while running a 5km last year, leading doctors to discover he had suffered a stroke, which subsequently led to the diagnosis of his disease. “They don’t know how long I had cancer, maybe a month or a year,” he explained.

Despite his diagnosis, Eriksson remained positive. “You can trick your brain. See the positive in things, don’t wallow in adversity, because this is the biggest adversity of course, but make something good out of it.”

He added, “I was fully healthy and then I collapsed and fainted and ended up at the hospital. And it turned out that I had cancer. The day before I had been out running five kilometers. It just came from nothing. And that makes you shocked. I’m not in any major pain. But I’ve been diagnosed with a disease that you can slow down but you cannot operate. So it is what it is.”

Source: Particlenews