David Beckham has shared the last words Sven-Göran Eriksson said to him as the pair said 'goodbye'.
It was announced this morning (26 August) that the former England manager has died at the age of 76.
A statement on the Swede's site confirmed he had passed away after being diagnosed with cancer, surrounded by his family.
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The first foreign manager of the England men's team, he took charge of 67 matches from 2001 to 2006 leading the team to the quarter-finals of three major tournaments in succession.
Paying tribute to Eriksson, Beckham shared a recent video of the iconic football player and coach duo to Instagram.
He wrote: "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...
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"Thank you Sven and in your last words to me 'It will be ok'."
Beckham's ex-teammate, Wayne Rooney, also paid tribute to their former manager after Eriksson handed the player his international debut in 2003.
The ex-England captain wrote on X: “Rest in peace, Sven. A special man.
“Thanks for the memories and all your help and advice. Thoughts and prayers with all his family and friends.”
Fellow player Michael Owen also posted: "Rest In Peace Sven-Goran Eriksson. One of the very best and a man who will be sadly missed by everyone in the world of football."
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The Prince of Wales shared a personal tribute to the former manager as he wrote: "Sad to hear about the passing of Sven-Göran 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.”
Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham also paid tribute to Eriksson, who famously led the Three Lions to that 5-1 win over Germany in a World Cup qualifier in Munich in September 2001.
“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,” Bullingham said.
“Sven will be rightly recognised and forever remembered for his significant work with the England team, and for his wider contribution to the game.
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“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.”
Eriksson's life and legendary career was recently told in a new Amazon Prime documentary where he talked about how he hoped to be remembered.
“I hope you will remember me as a positive guy trying to do everything he could do,” he said.
“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.”
Topics: David Beckham, Football, Sport, Celebrity
Jess Battison