Prince of Wales leads tributes to ‘true gentleman’ Sven-Goran Eriksson after death aged 76
TRIBUTES have flooded in for England football legend Sven-Goran Eriksson who has died at aged 76.
Eriksson spent five years as Three Lions’ boss – taking England to the quarter-finals in two World Cups and a European Championship.
The Swedish manager revealed in January he had “at best a year” to live after being diagnosed with cancer.
And his family have confirmed the sad news of his passing in a heartbreaking statement today.
It read: “After a long illness, SGE died during the morning at home surrounded by family.”
The Prince of Wales was the first to offer his heartfelt condolences on X.
Prince William, who is President of the Football Association, wrote on X: “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.”
Gary Neville was the first former player to pay tribute to Eriksson.
The former England full-back wrote on Instagram: “Rest in Peace Sven.”
Meanwhile FA CEO Mark 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.”
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.