Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Sven-Goran Eriksson gives terminal cancer update after messages from England icons
Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has spoken out after revealing at the start of the year that he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has insisted he’s “still on his feet” after providing an update on his condition following his terminal cancer diagnosis.
The 76-year-old revealed in January that he had been diagnosed terminal pancreatic cancer and had been given just one year to live.
He has since taken charge of a Liverpool Legends team at Anfield and been visited by former England captain David Beckham.
“I have an illness and everybody knows about it, but so far it’s okay,” he explained as he penned a column in The Telegraph. “I’m still on my feet. If you ask the doctors how long I’ve got left to live they can’t answer. Does that worry me? I think it’s better not to know.
“You have to try to stay positive in situations like this, that is how I have always lived my life. I like meeting people and living a normal life as much as possible.
“I don’t want to sit down feeling sorry about myself. No, thanks. You don’t resolve anything with that. On a day-to-day basis it’s a little bit up and down. Some mornings I wake up feeling totally perfect. Well, almost. And then other mornings it’s a problem. But the good days are still here and I’m fine."
Eriksson was handed the England job at the start of 2001 and managed the Three Lions at three major tournaments before leaving his role after the 2006 World Cup.
The Swede guided England to the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, with his talented squad falling agonisingly short in all of their last-eight encounters.
He went on to manage Leicester and Manchester City in the Premier League and also took charge of the Mexico and Ivory Coast national teams. His final spell in the dugout came when he managed the Philippines for three months between October 2018 and January 2019.
Don't miss...
Euro 2024 LIVE as England stars hit the beers as team leaked for Slovakia clash [LIVE]
England Euro 2024 star's dad may skip Slovakia last 16 clash to go to church [INSIGHT]
England duo sent message by Slovakia star ahead of Euro 2024 last-16 battle [DETAILS]
And the England hero has also revealed how some of his former players have made a special effort to reach out to him as he added: “Last weekend I had a visit from my old England captain, David Beckham. David phoned me and said he was coming over.
“That shows you who Beckham is. He didn’t have any need to come here but wanted to do it. He arrived with six bottles of wine, including one from 1948, which is the year I was born. That’s David Beckham as I knew him, an extremely good person.
“I’ve had messages from a lot of other England players, like Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard.”