"Don’t Pity Me. Farewell." The Poignant Speech of The Terminally ill Eriksson

The Swedish coach's life revolved around two passions: football & women.

"Defeats are a part of life," said Sven-Göran Eriksson to comfort English fans after Portugal knocked their team out in the Euro 2004 quarterfinals. Two years later, he would lead his final game with the "Three Lions." Once again, his dream of winning a trophy with England was crushed by the "Euro-Brazilians," this time for good. Both unfortunate losses came in penalty shootouts.

After the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Eriksson left his position with a sharp remark about the English:

"They criticize you no matter where you perform. But only in England does it feel like a war. To coach their team, you must win every match, forget about your personal life, and not earn too much."

Eriksson departed without any trophies, but two decades later, all of football-loving England wept when the cancer-stricken Swede was invited to Liverpool, the club his father had raised him to love. Jürgen Klopp gave up his seat for him during a legends match against Ajax. Sven-Göran celebrated the victory, saying, "My dream has come true." Leading his father’s favorite team to win was worth more to him than a World Cup title.

At least, that's what Eriksson says. After leaving England, he coached for another 15 years, though his last title remained with Lazio. Fittingly, he achieved the most tremendous success of his career in the Eternal City: seven trophies, including the club’s second-ever Serie A title — still their last one to date. And, of course, five trophies with Benfica, though he painfully lost the most crucial match, the European Cup final, to Arrigo Sacchi’s AC Milan. During those years, these two managers were revolutionizing football.

After coaching England, Sven-Göran worked in the Ivory Coast, Mexico, the UAE, and China and even had stints in Thailand and the Philippines. Still, he couldn’t add to his trophy collection. Career and personal failures followed Eriksson throughout his life, and saying farewell to a legendary figure is no reason for idealization. The Swede understands this, as he candidly discusses his life journey in a new Amazon Prime Video documentary.

Football, of course, always came first. Without it, Eriksson admits, life feels somewhat empty. After more than four decades in football, how could it not? But even now, at 76, he’s still coaching — an amateur Swedish club, Torsby, where 6-year-old Sven-Göran first stepped onto the field. Naturally, he watches Premier League matches with his father every weekend, passionately analyzing the game and occasionally criticizing the coaches. He just can't help it.

The second passion of his life? Women. Eriksson had many companions. However, they say he mostly talked about football and his children. As for love, Sven-Göran didn't seem to impress. Ulrika Jonsson, a famous English journalist, once compared sex with Eriksson to assembling an Ikea bookshelf. Both, she said, were unbearably dull.

Eriksson describes most of his relationships as "foolish." He was unfaithful to many women, but he has no regrets:

"I lived an unusual life. A wonderful life. Maybe too wonderful, and you have to pay for that."

In the end, Eriksson met the love of his life — Yaniset Alcides, whom he met in Mexico. They've been together for 16 years, and his wife believes they’ll spend many more side by side.

Eriksson, however, holds no such hope. With inoperable pancreatic cancer, he has, at most, a few months left. It’s time to reflect and address the players, coaches, fans, loved ones, and children.

"Don’t pity me. Death is also part of life. I hope you'll remember me as a good person who tried to do his best. But not everyone will. Smile. Take care of yourselves. And live. Farewell."

Published by Patrick Jane
21.08.2024