On 26 August 2024, one of the great footballing minds, Sven Goran Eriksson, left us after a prolonged battle against an incurable sickness. Eriksson did not have a remarkable playing career but has surely done a lot as a manager.
During his long career, he made strides with Benfice, Lazio, and IFK Göteborg, but will also be remembered as being England’s manager, as well as coaching Manchester City for a period of time.
Eriksson left an imprint on football that a lot of people will remember for a very long time. Today we want to remember Sven Goran Eriksson’s career and the smiles he brought to many fans around the world.
Sven Goran Eriksson Manager Career
The sports career of seven-Göran Eriksson is one that is going to be hard to forget. But as a player, he really did not have so much success. He played as a right-back and in 1977 decided to test out the coaching waters. He started things off with IFK Göteborg, where in four years managed to win a title and two domestic cups. Not to mention that he won the 1981/82 UEFA Cup with the Angels.
The success earned him a call up at Benfica, where in two years he won two titles and a single cup. Not to mention that he participated in another UEFA Cup final. He then went on to coach in Italy, where he won the Italian Cup with Roma, before going back to Benfica, which earned him another Portuguese championship title. He also reached the final of the European Cup in 1990 with the Eagles as well.
Eriksson would go back to Italy where he won two more Coppa Italia titles, one with Sampdoria (1993) and another one with Lazio (1997). But the season which put him on the map was the 1999/2000 season, where he lifted the title with Lazio as well as winning the domestic cup and the UEFA Super Cup. Let’s not forget that he also won the Winners’ Cup in 1999 with Lazio as well.
Sven Goran Eriksson Clubs Managed
During his career, Eriksson managed 13 clubs. He also coached England, Mexico, Ivory Coast, and the Philippines, which was his last managerial appointment. The list of Sven Goran Eriksson’s teams managed.
- Degerfors IF (1977-1978)
- IFK Göteborg (1979-1982)
- Benfica (1982-1984, 1989-1992)
- Roma (1984-1987)
- Fiorentina (1987-1989)
- Sampdoria (1992-1997)
- Lazio (1997-2001)
- England (2001-2006)
- Manchester City (2007-2008)
- Mexico (2008-2009)
- Ivory Coast (2010)
- Leicester City (2010-2011)
- Guangzhou R&F (2013-2014)
- Shanghai SIPG (2014-2016)
- Shenzhen (2016-2017)
- Philippines (2018-2019)
England Manager
There was a lot of fanfare when Sven Goran Eriksson stepped in as England’s new manager. He became the first foreign manager to lead the Three Lions, and his appointment was met with a lot of scrutiny. He put all doubts to rest with a debut 3-0 win against Spain.
However, Sven-Göran Eriksson’s England appointment came to an end after failing to capture any titles. He failed both at the 2002 and 2006 World Cup and was also eliminated at Euro 2004 against Portugal on penalties.
Sven Goran Eriksson’s Man City career did not fare any better. He stayed at the club for only a year, finishing 9th in the Premier League, despite the heavy acquisitions that the club brought.
