David Beckham was among the mourners at Fryksande church in the Swedish town of Torsby on Friday for the funeral of former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Captain of the team during Eriksson’s spell in charge between 2001 and 2006, Beckham was joined by Eriksson’s former partner Nancy Dell’Olio, with whom the Swede was in a relationship during his time with England.
The church service, which included sung renditions of Elton John’s Candle in the Wind and Frank Sinatra’s My Way accompanied on piano, began at just after 10am local time and lasted around an hour.
Tribute was paid to a love of routine and discipline shown by Eriksson, who led England to three major tournament quarter-finals shortly after securing Lazio their first Serie A title in 26 years, alluding to the fact he was never late and that he frequently chose to wear a suit as a teenager.
It was also recounted how, as a child, he would post a sign on his bedroom door saying “no entry – homework in progress”, when he would in fact be on his bed reading detective novels.
There was reference too to his realisation of a lifelong dream in the final months of his life to manage Liverpool, which he did in a charity match in March when he took charge of a “legends” side at Anfield. His granddaughter accompanied him onto the pitch at the game.
His love for Liverpool was commemorated by a local brass band playing You’ll Never Walk Alone as the hearse made its way out of the grounds following the ceremony.
Eriksson’s coffin arrived at Fryksande church at around 7am local time on Friday morning, long before the arrival of any of the guests.
A single bell tolled as his body was carried into the church.
Members of Sweden’s royal family were in attendance, as was Eriksson’s partner at the time of his death, Yaniseth Alcides – a Panamanian national who he met whilst in charge of Mexico – with roads surrounding the church in the small town where Eriksson grew up cordoned off and with a sizeable police presence in the area.
Torsby, which is in the west of Sweden, has a population of only around 4,000.
Amongst those to arrive early were Eriksson’s son and elderly father, as well as a childhood friend of the former Lazio and Benfica coach, Bengt Berg.
“I’m very happy and very sad at the same time,” said Berg, an author who worked on a book with Eriksson in the final months of his life.
“But it’s fantastic to see him returning to his first point. It’s a very curious feeling.
“He’s one of us and we share his glory. But when he returned here, he was just one of the hot dog eaters.”
Other attendees from across English football included former England boss Roy Hodgson, who managed the team from 2012 to 2016, and former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein.
The Football Association was represented in Torsby by deputy CEO Mark Burrows.
Those who were unable to attend the ceremony due to capacity watched the service on a large screen in the grounds of the church, with several hundred present.
One fan wore the shirt of IFK Goteborg whom Eriksson led to victory in the UEFA Cup in 1982 before departing to manage Benfica.
