Heartwarming moment Sven-Goran Eriksson gets emotional as Gothenburg fans serenade terminally ill former England boss with song and tifo ahead of Swedish top-flight match
- Sven-Goran Eriksson was emotional as fans chanted and raised a tifo in his honor
- He visited old clubs after revealing his terminal cancer diagnosis
- Hope is not lost for Arsenal and it’s not right that Oleksandr Zinchenko is being made a scapegoat: listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Sven-Goran Eriksson was moved to tears as Gothenburg fans held up a tifo in his honor and serenaded him on his return.
The former England manager visited his old club on Saturday after revealing he suffered from terminal pancreatic cancer in January and was given a hero’s welcome.
Eriksson led Swedish club Gothenburg to a shock UEFA Cup in 1982, back when their players still had second jobs on top of their playing commitments.
After being led to a chorus of cheers and applause, the singing began and he was visibly moved by the tributes being paid to him. Souvenirs were also presented to him.
Perhaps Gothenburg could have done with Eriksson in charge for the day. In the end, they managed a 1-1 draw against Norrkoping.
Sven-Goran Eriksson was moved to tears as Gothenburg fans sang for him and raised a tifo in his honor
He was visiting the club he had led to an unexpected UEFA Cup in 1982 while their players still had other jobs.
Fans gave Eriksson a warm welcome and paid tribute to the memories he left them
He also visited former club Benfica earlier this month. Eriksson, 76, said in January he had “five small strokes” and feared he was in the last year of his life.
He managed England between 2001 and 2006, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups as well as the last eight of Euro 2004.
He also managed Manchester City and Leicester during a storied managerial career that took him across 16 teams and three continents, winning numerous domestic and European honors.
In March he achieved his lifelong dream of managing Liverpool and hailed it as a “memory for life” as he coached a team of club legends.
Liverpool Legends beat a team of Ajax icons 4-2 that day under his tutelage and he managed the likes of Fernando Torres and Djibril Cissé.
He cried when they sang You’ll Never Walk Alone, a testament to his love and admiration for the club.
Indeed, in 1979, while managing Gothenburg, he wrote to the Reds asking if he could attend training sessions run by then-manager Bob Paisley.
Current manager Jurgen Klopp gave Eriksson a big smile and a hug before the match, calling him a “legend”, while Steven Gerrard flew in from Saudi Arabia to be with him.
The former England manager revealed earlier this year that he was suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer.
Benfica fans gave him a warm welcome when he returned there earlier this month.
The 76-year-old managed a Liverpool Legends side in March, fulfilling his dream of managing the Reds.
Former England players also composed video tributes in his honor for the recent international break.
Speaking about his terminal cancer in March, he said: “You enjoy waking up in the morning and feeling good and normally you don’t do that. You take it for granted.
“At first, when you receive a diagnosis out of nowhere, it’s like a shock, but after a while, you learn to live with it.
Jurgen Klopp and Eriksson had a warm meeting before the match and he told the Liverpool boss: ‘you’re fine’
The former England boss also had an emotional reunion with Steven Gerrard ahead of the charity match.
“Today I have a normal life and I don’t think about what will happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Otherwise you sit and feel sorry for yourself. No, leave it.
“I don’t talk about it much. It’s like that. I probably can’t beat it. Either way, life is good.
