Sven-Goran Eriksson ‘a true gentleman of the game’ as David Beckham leads tributes

Sven-Goran Eriksson has been hailed as a “true gentleman of the game” by the Prince of Wales and David Beckham as they led tributes to the former England manager, who has died at the age of 76.

Eriksson, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year, managed England from 2001 to 2006 and the Swede was the first foreign manager of the English national side.

His death on Monday morning was confirmed by his family after Eriksson revealed in January that he had “at best a year left to live”.

Beckham posted footage of a recent meeting with Eriksson on Instagram and wrote: “We laughed, we cried and we knew we were saying goodbye.

“Sven, thank you for always being the person you have always been – passionate, caring, calm and a true gentleman.

“I will be forever grateful for you making me your captain but I will forever hold these last memories of this day with you and your family… Thank you Sven and in your last words to me ‘It will be ok’.”

In a tribute posted on Twitter/X, Prince William, who is a patron of the Football Association, said: “Sad to hear about the passing of Sven-Goran Eriksson.

“I met him several times as England manager and was always struck by his charisma and passion for the game. My thoughts are with his family and friends. A true gentleman of the game. W.”

Former England striker Michael Owen described Eriksson as “one of the very best” – the highlight of Eriksson’s reign was a 5-1 rout of Germany in Munich in 2001, with Owen scoring a hat-trick.

Posting on X, Owen wrote: “Rest In Peace Sven-Goran Eriksson. One of the very best and a man who will be sadly missed by everyone in the world of football.”

Speaking on Sky Sports News Steve McClaren, Eriksson’s former coach and then successor as England boss, recalled the win in Germany as a pivotal result.

“That was the moment when we all said ‘Yeah, he’s the real deal, he can do this job’,” McClaren said.

“That’s the key thing. Players, when a manager is standing in front of them want to look at a manager and think ‘He can make us win’ and on that night we all looked and thought ‘He’s that man, he can make us win’.

“The trust was off the scale and he continued that all the way through.”

England captain Harry Kane, whose international career began after Eriksson’s time as manager, paid tribute to the Swede in a post on Instagram.

Kane said: “I didn’t have the privilege of playing under Sven but I know how well liked and respected he was by those who played under him as England manager. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”

The head of the FA, Mark Bullingham, said Eriksson will be remembered when England play Finland in a friendly at Wembley next month.

Bullingham said: “This is a very sad day. He gave all England fans such special memories. No one can ever forget the 5-1 victory in Munich against Germany under Sven’s guidance.

“Sven will be rightly recognised and forever remembered for his significant work with the England team, and for his wider contribution to the game.

“On behalf of my colleagues at The FA, past and present, our thoughts are with his friends and family today. He will be much missed, and we will pay tribute to him when we play Finland at Wembley next month.”

A number of Eriksson’s former clubs, including Manchester City and Benfica, also paid tribute, while Uefa said: “On behalf of the European football community, everybody at Uefa is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sven Goran Eriksson.

“A beloved figure in the game, Sven was a Uefa Cup winner as coach of IFK Goteborg in 1982 before leading Lazio to the Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999. Rest in peace, Sven.”

A statement from Eriksson’s children, Lina and Johan, said they hoped their father would be remembered as the “the good and positive person he always was both in public and at home with us”.

They said: “Dad told us at the beginning of this year about his serious illness and received an amazing response from friends and football fans around Europe. He was invited to several football teams in England, Italy, Portugal and Sweden.

“They shared their love for football and for dad. It was unforgettable for both him and us. He expressed his appreciation and joy and stated that such beautiful words are usually only uttered when someone has died.

“We have shared his gratitude and got to experience the wonderful meetings between him, football and all his friends. We thank everyone for these positive memories and your support during his illness.”