SVEN'S PAIN
Terminally-ill Sven-Goran Eriksson left doctors in tears after former England boss had five strokes at the same time
Swede has also opened up on moment he was informed he had terminal cancer
SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON left doctors in tears after suffering five strokes at the same time.
The terminally-ill former England manager revealed in January that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
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Eriksson, 76, said he had 12 months left to live after medical staff were unable to operate.
But it’s now been revealed that his cancer was found after the Swede suffered five consecutive strokes to leave doctors in tears.
A new Amazon Prime Video documentary called ‘Sven’ documents Eriksson’s life and the impact his diagnosis has had on family members.
In one heartbreaking scene, son Johan and daughter Lina revealed the moment they were told about Eriksson’s health condition.
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Johan said: “I had 10 missed calls from my sister, ‘Dad’s in the emergency room’.
“He’s not in a good way. You can kind of tell when the doctor’s in tears that… not good. Worst possible news.”
Lina continued: “We found out that he had had five strokes and then you go into a state of fear. A panic mode.”
Eriksson noted: “One day, I woke up and I felt dizzy. Yeah, it's cancer I have and that's it. The medicine, we don't know what's going to happen.
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Sven-Goran Eriksson's managerial career
AS Sven-Goran Eriksson bravely continues to battle cancer, SunSport takes a look at his remarkable managerial career...
PROMISING START
It began in Sweden in 1977 where he won the third division with Degerfors, before he joined Gothenburg and won two Swedish Cups and the Uefa Cup.
He then took over at Benfica in 1982 and spent two seasons with the Portuguese giants where he won back-to-back league titles.
INCREDIBLE ITALIAN SUCCESS
Stints followed in Italy with Roma and Fiorentina, but he returned to Benfica in 1989 and reached the European Cup final before losing to AC Milan.
Eriksson claimed a third league title with Benfica the following year, leaving in 1992 for Sampdoria.
He spent five seasons with the Serie A side, winning the Copa Italia in 1994.
Eriksson then added another two Coppa Italias to his trophy cabinet with Lazio across a four-year spell.
ENGLAND APPOINTMENT
Then came the England job in 2001 where he spent five years at the helm of the national side.
He reached the quarter-finals of World Cup 2002, losing 2-1 to eventual winners Brazil.
England then suffered back-to-back eliminations at the hands of Portugal at Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006.
PREMIER LEAGUE SPELLS
After leaving the Three Lions following his third major tournament, he spent one season at Manchester City.
Spells followed at Mexico, Ivory Coast and Leicester, before he moved to China where he coached three clubs across a four-year period.
His last managerial stint came for the Philippines national team, a position he held from October 2018 to January 2019.
MAJOR HONOURS
Portugal League title x 3 (Benfica 82/83, 83/84, 90/91)
Copa Italia x 4 (Roma 85/86, Sampdoria 93/94, Lazio 97/98, 99/00)
Serie A title (Lazio 99/00)
Uefa Cup Winners' Cup (Lazio 98/99)
Uefa Super Cup (Lazio 99)
BBC Sports Personality Coach of the Year (England 2001)
“I’m sort of scared. It takes time, a little bit of time before you can accept it. I'm still here."
Eriksson took charge of 67 England matches between January 2001 and July 2006, winning 40 games.
England legends send heartbreaking messages to Sven Goran Eriksson as former Three Lions boss battles terminal cancer
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He also had successful club spells with Benfica, Roma and Lazio.
And he managed twice in England with Man City and Leicester.
Speaking in January, Eriksson revealed more about his diagnosis.
He said: "I thought I was fully healthy but suddenly I had a small stroke so I fell and my children took me to the hospital.
“After one day of examination they told me I had five small strokes, but said, 'No problem, you will recover 100% from that', but worse is they said I have cancer which they can't operate on.
"They said they will give me treatment and medicine to try and live as long as possible. I have that diagnosis and they can't operate, unfortunately."
Symptoms of pancreatic cancer
PANCREATIC cancer doesn't always cause symptoms in its early stages.
As the cancer grows and you do begin to show signs, these may come and go and be unspecific, making it hard to diagnose, according to .
Common symptoms include:
- Indigestion - a painful, burning feeling in your chest with an unpleasant taste in your mouth
- Tummy or back pain - it may start as general discomfort or tenderness in the tummy area and spread to the back, which get worse lying down and feel better is you sit forward
- Diarrhoea and constipation - see a GP if you have runny poos for more than seven days, especially if you've lost weight as well
- Steatorrhoea - pale, oily poo that's bulky, smells horrible and floats, making it hard to flush
- Losing a lot of weight without meaning to
- Jaundice - yellow skin and eyes, as well as dark pee, pale poo and itchy skin
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