Sven-Goran Eriksson has in a “best case” scenario around a year to live after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, the former England manager has revealed.
Eriksson, who was in charge of England for five years before leaving after the 2006 World Cup, stood down from his most recent role as sporting director at Swedish club Karlstad 11 months ago due to health issues.
The 75-year-old Swede was informed by doctors he had pancreatic cancer and while there are treatments to slow down its progression and help manage symptoms, there is no cure.
The former Manchester City and Leicester manager told Swedish Radio P1: “Everyone can see that I have a disease that’s not good, and everyone supposes that it’s cancer, and it is. But I have to fight it as long as possible.
“It’s pancreatic – you can’t operate on it. It can be slowed.
“I know that in the best case it’s about a year, in the worst case even less. Or in the best case I suppose even longer. I don’t think the doctors I have can be totally sure, they can’t put a day on it.
“It’s better not to think about it. You have to trick your brain. I could go around thinking about that all the time and sit at home and be miserable and think I’m unlucky and so on.
“It’s easy to end up in that position. But no, see the positive sides of things and don’t bury yourself in setbacks, because this is the biggest setback of them all of course.”
After starting his coaching career in his homeland with Degerfors and IFK Gothenburg, Eriksson took over at Benfica in 1982 and led them to three Portuguese top-flight titles and a runners-up finish in the UEFA Cup before guiding Lazio to their second and most recent Serie A triumph in 1999-2000.
Eriksson then became the first foreign-born England manager when he succeeded Kevin Keegan in January 2001, taking charge of the country’s so-called golden generation.
Despite a wealth of talent to call upon including David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, Eriksson was unable to guide the team beyond the quarter-finals at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups or Euro 2004.
His globe-trotting career since leaving the England job has taken in stints at Man City and Leicester, plus the Mexico and Ivory Coast national teams, as well as a spell as Notts County’s director of football.
He oversaw the fortunes of Chinese Super League sides Guangzhou R&F, Shanghai SIPG and Shenzhen between 2013 and 2017 and his final managerial post was with the Philippines from October 2018 to January 2019.
After being diagnosed with cancer, Eriksson disclosed he had suffered “five strokes in one day – small ones” but said: “My memory is a little worse but otherwise I think I am rather with it.”
He added: “I was fully healthy and then I collapsed and fainted and ended up at the hospital. And it turned out that I had cancer. The day before I had been out running five kilometres.
“It just came from nothing. And that makes you shocked.
“I’m not in any major pain. But I’ve been diagnosed with a disease that you can slow down but you cannot operate. So it is what it is.”
Eriksson says he still watches an “incredible amount” of football and remains in contact with Karlstad – who are in the third tier of the Swedish league system – although he is not employed by them.
He said: “Football has been like a poison for me. A good poison.
“My divorce many years ago was party due to the football. My wife at the time wanted me to get a job where we could live more spontaneously and be free some Saturdays or Sundays. But I couldn’t imagine that.
“I would never have changed that decision (to make football my life) if I had got to live again.”
