Beloved England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson died '£8million in debt' after battle with cancer
14 January 2025, 11:02 | Updated: 14 January 2025, 15:50
Late England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson died £8 million in debt, according to reports.
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The football world mourned the passing of the legendary coach, affectionately called ‘Sven’ by England fans, when he passed away from pancreatic cancer last August aged 76.
Following his death, the coach’s estate was published, revealing he was in 118 million kronor (£8.6m) debt when he passed away.
The document, seen by Swedish newspaper Gotesborg-Posten, showed he had 66 million kronor of assets in total, but owed 118 million.
This means the beloved manager’s estate would have a deficit of around 52 million Kronor or £3.7m.
David Beckham among mourners at Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral in Sweden
The Swede, who had been battling cancer, was the first foreign manager of the English national side, taking charge of 67 matches from 2001 to 2006.
He led England to the quarter-finals of three major tournaments in succession, including the World Cups of 2002 and 2006.
He was appointed after a successful career in club management, notably in Italy, where he won a Serie A and cup double, as well as the European Cup Winners' Cup, with Lazio.
He returned to the World Cup with Ivory Coast in 2010 and also had spells in charge of Manchester City and Leicester among stints in several other countries in a lengthy career.
He was never far away from the headlines during his time in England where, apart from football, his private life was a seemingly endless source of fascination for newspapers.
The Swede managed 12 clubs, including Manchester City, Leicester, Roma and Lazio, winning 18 trophies.
Eriksson also had spells in charge of Mexico, Ivory Coast and the Philippines.
Tributes flooded in from football stars after Sven’s death.
Posting on Instagram, David Beckham said: "We laughed, we cried & we knew we were saying goodbye...
“Sven thank you for always being the person you have always been, passionate, caring, calm & 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'."
While Frank Lampard added: "He was an absolute gentleman and was always there for you on and off the pitch.
"I will always be grateful to him for the trust and support he gave me in my England career.
"Thanks Sven for all you did for me. My thoughts are with your loved ones at this difficult time."
