Prince William pays heartfelt tribute to 'true gent' Sven Goran-Eriksson
The Prince of Wales released the emotional statement just minutes after the ex-England boss's death was made public.
Prince William has released a heartfelt tribute to football legend Sven Goran-Eriksson following news of his death.
The former England boss passed away aged 76 during the morning, surrounded by family.
The Prince of Wales called Sven a "true gent" in the emotional post.
He said on X: "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."
Mr Eriksson's death was confirmed by his family on Monday after he endured a battle with pancreatic cancer.
At the start of this year, he said he only had a year to live "at best".
The family said in a statement: "Sven-Goran Eriksson has passed away.
"After a long illness, SGE died during the morning at home surrounded by family.
"The closest mourners are daughter Lina; son Johan with wife Amana and granddaughter Sky; father Sven; girlfriend Yanisette with son Alcides; brother Lars-Erik with wife Jumnong.
"The family asks for respect for their wish to mourn in private and not be contacted."
He was best known for becoming England's first-ever foreign manager back in 2001.
Mr Eriksson led England to the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup, 2004 European Championships, and 2006 World Cup.
In England, he also managed Manchester City FC and Leicester City FC.
After leaving the England job in 2006, he went on to manage Mexico and the Ivory Coast at international level.
Following his diagnosis, Mr Eriksson stepped down from his role at sporting director at Swedish club Karlstad in February 2023.
He was granted his wish of managing at Anfield as he led the Liverpool Legends side against Ajax in March.
Mr Eriksson described the day as "absolutely beautiful" and a "huge memory."
The football legend said he hoped to be remembered as a good man.
At the end of the Amazon Prime documentary 'Sven', he said: "I had a good life. I think we are all scared of the day when we die, but life is about death as well.
"You have to learn to accept it for what it is. Hopefully at the end people will say, 'yeah, he was a good man', but everyone will not say that.
"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. Bye."
