Wayne Rooney has led the tributes to ex-England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson after he died of cancer.
The 76-year-old revealed his terminal diagnosis in January and issued a heartbreaking goodbye message just days ago.
His family confirmed he died this morning surrounded by his loved ones.
Rooney is among a whole host of the ‘golden generation’ players to pay their respects to their former international team boss, including Michael Owen, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard.
‘Rest in peace, Sven,’ Rooney wrote on X alongside a love heart emoji. ‘A special man. Thanks for the memories and all your help and advice. Thoughts and prayers with all his family and friends.’
Former striker Michael Owen, who scored a hat-trick in England’s famous 5-1 win over Germany under Eriksson at the Olympiastadion in Munich in September 2001, said: ‘One of the very best and a man who will be sadly missed by everyone in the world of football.’
Gary Neville posted an image of Eriksson on his Instagram story, writing ‘Rest in peace Sven’, while Gary Lineker described him as a ‘genuinely lovely man’. Scholes and Gerrard also both shared images of Eriksson on social media.
Rio Ferdinand simply wrote: ‘RIP boss.’
The outpouring of love for the Swede, who became the first foreigner to manage the Three Lions, comes after he lost his battle against pancreatic cancer.
His children Lina and Johan Eriksson said in an emotional statement: ‘Our father Sven-Göran Eriksson fell asleep peacefully in his home at Björkefors outside Sunne this morning.
‘He has for a long time fought bravely with his illness, but now it came to an end.
‘Our thoughts go out to Sven-Goran’s father Sven; girlfriend Yaniseth and her son Alcides; to his brother Lasse and wife Jumnong, as well as to all good friends and acquaintances in Sweden and around the world.
‘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.’
They also shared how their father said he was ‘incredibly grateful’ for getting to hear those words while he was alive and told them: ‘The heart beats twice and the tears come. I have had the best job in the world and I was happy every day for long periods. It’s been fantastic.’
Lina and Johan added: ‘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.
‘We hope that you will remember Svennis as the good and positive person he always was both in public and at home with us.’
In a heartbreaking interview in an Amazon Prime documentary which was only released on Friday, Eriksson said: ‘I hope you will remember me as a positive guy trying to do everything he could do.
‘Don’t be sorry, smile. Thank you for everything, coaches, players, the crowds, it’s been fantastic. Take care of yourself and take care of your life. And live it.’
Ex-England striker Peter Crouch said on X: ‘Really sad news. What a great person he was. Sven gave me my England debut when plenty doubted it. I will forever be grateful to him. He will be missed.’
Shortly before he died, David Beckham visited Eriksson at his farm in Sweden.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE : Nancy Dell’Olio pays heartbreaking tribute to ex-husband Sven-Goran Eriksson
MORE : Sven-Goran Eriksson revealed his one regret as England manager before his death
MORE : The moment Sven-Goran Eriksson was reduced to tears by Liverpool fans singing You’ll Never Walk Alone
Share your story or advertise with us: Whatsapp: +2347068606071 Email: info@newspotng.com
