Sven-Goran Eriksson, former England manager and lifelong Liverpool fan, has passed away aged 76. As tributes pour in, there is one side to the pioneering coach that the public never really saw .
Eriksson revealed his terminal cancer diagnosis in January, when he told the world that he had a year "at best" to live. The football world rallied behind him, and he was even given the chance to manage at Anfield , where he took charge of the Liverpool Legends for a charity match .
Last week saw the release of a documentary, "Sven", charting Eriksson's life and career — in which he delivered a heartbreaking and poignant goodbye message . Previewing its release, a former Liverpool and England player lifted the lid on his experiences with the Swede.
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"He's a warm guy, Sven, I really liked him," Danny Murphy told talkSPORT . "He treated us like men and expected respect back for it. Although he was warm and charismatic he had a ruthless side to him.
"I remember once — I don't know where I got the stupidity to question him from — but he left me off the bench in the Germany [match] when we beat them 5-1. I thought I'd been playing well and deserved to at least be on the bench, the team was pretty good obviously.
"Anyway I was left in the stands with three or four others. I asked him about it and it was the first time I saw that side to him, he basically said to me "you haven't trained well enough, you haven't trained hard enough. I don't know why you don't train hard, you need to do better."
"That was it, done. Woah. It gave me a huge kick and I needed to do better. On the flip side he called me when I got called up to the 2002 World Cup, he called me himself and told me how well I'd done, that I deserved it. Stevie [ Steven Gerrard ] had dropped out and I was his first choice, it made me feel a million dollars."
The past few months have really brought home how admired, respected and loved Eriksson was across the football world. But you don't achieve what he did without that ruthless streak.
Starting his career in Sweden, he enjoyed huge success in both Portugal and Italy, while he also had a stint in the Premier League with Manchester City . He became the first foreign coach to manage the England national team.
Liverpool.com says: Naturally, all our thoughts are with Eriksson's family and friends at this time. He leaves behind a significant footballing legacy.
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