Eriksson, at 75, disclosed on Sweden's P1 radio station: "Everyone understands that I have an illness that is not good. Everyone guesses it's cancer and it is. But I have to fight as long as I can."
Best known for leading teams such as Roma, Manchester City, and Mexico, Eriksson became a household name when he took the reins of the England squad, skyrocketing to fame in the managerial arena.
Eriksson took over as England boss in 2001, and held the position for five years. Later, he took on a including a £15 million contract in China with Shanghai.
For a time he lived with ex Nancy Dell'Olio in a four-bedroom house in Park Village East, north London. The lavish abode was reportedly sold for £4,350,000 in 2003. Later in his life, he is understood to have resided in a luxurious lakeside Swedish mansion.
His romantic encounters were once hot tabloid fodder, especially during high-flying days as a manager, documenting his various liaisons.
Before rising to fame, Sven tied the knot with Ann-Christine Pettersson in July 1977, a union blessed with two children, only for them to part ways in 1994.
Nancy Dell'Olio, now 62, entered Sven's life three years prior to his appointment as England's skipper. However, relocating to London altered the dynamic, leading to Sven's notorious involvement with TV host and model Ulrika Jonsson early in 2002.
Nancy initially dismissed the gossip, asserting that she and Sven were "more united" than ever. "We have spoken a lot over the last few days and there has been a lot of rubbish written. Sven will speak and dismiss it all," she claimed, also suggesting: "It is all a publicity attempt by her."
The feud between the two women escalated publicly, with Ulrika countering: "Sven is behaving like a lying cad. He promised me it was over with Nancy but then takes her out to dinner and doesn't even call me."
Even Ulrika's nanny got involved, alleging she'd caught them in bed together, leading to Sven's eventual admission in his 2013 memoir: "It was not until we met at some kind of a function in Manchester that anything romantic occurred. I was there with some people from the FA. For some reason, Ulrika was also invited. We met at the hotel the evening before and ended up spending the night together."
"Ulrika said she was writing a book about her life. 'Don't worry, Sven,' she said. 'You won't be in it. After that, Ulrika and I met when we could. Not daily, but now and then. It got to be more and more serious. Nancy did not suspect anything. She was travelling to Italy a lot during that time."
He further revealed that he would meet Ulrika at her place and expressed that he "did not feel I had anything to apologise for."
The affair went on for four months, with Ulrika harshly likening their intimacy to 'an Ikea instruction manual'.
Nancy, for her part, gave Sven the boot briefly before rekindling their flame. However, only two years on, another scandal unfolded as he found himself entwined in a love scandal involving Football Association secretary Faria Alam, 57, who spun a tale straight out of a melodrama by also engaging in an affair with the Football Association CEO Mark Palios.
Adding to the Swede's romantic escapades, one of his other lovers was wealthy Marisa Cauchi, who spent four years as the ex-Manchester City boss's paramour. She called it quits upon learning she was merely one among five other women in Eriksson's love nest.
"I was with Sven for four years and he broke my heart. He told me he loved me and promised we'd come out as a couple. In reality he was keeping me a secret so he could romance other women," Marisa divulged to the Mirror.
Adding more intrigue, Eriksson confided in his 2013 autobiography about a tryst with a married woman which concluded dramatically when her husband arrived mid-encounter. Although this tidbit was edited out from the final version, Norwegian publishers missed the memo and went ahead with the unedited narrative.
"We soon found ourselves naked on the sofa," recounted Eriksson. "She had not said anything about having a husband, but suddenly the door opened and there was a big man who said: 'Who the hell are you? ' I said: 'I better leave,' and he replied: 'I think it's probably for the best'."
Eriksson confided about his break up with Dell'Olio in August 2007 and later admitted he wasn't ready for the level of public interest in his personal life. "I thought I was prepared for England but I was not prepared for things outside football, my private life."
Concerning the attention paid to his romantic involvements, he regrettable stated on the History Channel, "I am not very proud that fans could probably name three of my former girlfriends," adding, "I don't think it damaged my football results. But my image outside football it damaged, yes. My private life was not very private in England."
Reflecting on a particular incident from 2002 involving Swedish personality Jonsson, Eriksson shared what he recounted to his players: "In 2002, when it came out about a woman, well a Swedish one (Jonsson) I wondered what I should tell the players. It had nothing to do with football. But I was their manager and we were going into a World Cup. I told them 'sorry' but one of the players stood up and said: 'Boss, welcome to England.' That was it. I felt good. It was over."
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