Former England, Lazio and Man City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson dies aged 76

Former England, Lazio and Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has died at the age of 76 after a battle with cancer.

A statement on his official website confirmed he had died on Monday morning, surrounded by his family.

The Swede, who had been battling cancer, was the first foreign manager of the English national side, taking charge of 67 matches from 2001 to 2006.

He led England to the quarter-finals of three major tournaments in succession, including the World Cups of 2002 and 2006.

He was appointed after a successful career in club management, notably in Italy, where he won a Serie A and cup double, as well as the European Cup Winners’ Cup, with Lazio.

He returned to the World Cup with Ivory Coast in 2010 and also had spells in charge of Manchester City and Leicester among stints in several other countries in a lengthy career.

He was never far away from the headlines during his time in England where, apart from football, his private life was a seemingly endless source of fascination for newspapers.

In the upcoming Amazon Prime documentary ‘Sven’, the former England manager sent a poignant goodbye message.

“I had a good life. I think we are all scared of the day when we die, but life is about death as well,” Eriksson said at the end of the documentary. “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.”