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Louise Thomas

Editor

Sven-Goran Eriksson has said that he hopes to be remembered as a “positive guy” as the former England manager provided a farewell message.

Eriksson revealed in January that he had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, and had “at best a year left to live”.

The 76-year-old’s life has been chronicled in a documentary for Amazon Prime Video, taking in the eventful five years in charge of England between 2001 and 2006.

The Swedish manager also coached Manchester City and Leicester during a long and varied career that included international jobs on four continents.

“I had a good life,” Eriksson says in the final moments of the documentary, which is due to be released on 23 August. “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.

“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.”

Eriksson was the first foreign manager to take charge of England’s men, leading them to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.

He was criticised, however, for failing to get the best out of a much-hyped “Golden Generation”, with England also exiting Euro 2004 at the last eight stage.

The manager won Swedish, Portuguese and Italian titles at Gothenburg, Benfica and Lazio, while his life away from football also often hit the headlines, including high-profile affairs with television presenter Ulrika Jonsson and Football Association secretary Faria Alam.

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