David Beckham has shared a heartbreaking tribute to Sven-Goran Eriksson on Instagram, featuring what appears to be his final meeting with the former England manager.
Becks’ social media post features a silent clip of him and the late Swede, 76, walking, talking and laughing at what appears to be Eriksson’s home in Sunne.
The tribute was issued after the football legend’s family announced his death earlier today following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
The video was not dated but comes after Eriksson revealed earlier this year that Beckham had visited him with a personal chef and a case of expensive wine drawn from key years of the manager’s career.
Eriksson’s family were at the Swedish icon’s bedside when he passed away this morning, and the news has triggered an outpouring of tributes from across the football world and beyond.
Comes as:
David Beckham and Sven-Goran Eriksson were seen together in a post Beckham made on Instagram this afternoon
Eriksson
Eriksson and Beckham pictured in 2006, leaving for the World Cup in Germany
Beckham and Eriksson pictured in 2002 ahead of the World Cup where the team reached the quarter-finals before being knocked out by Brazil.
Eriksson resigned as England manager after the team were knocked out of the 2006 World Cup by Portugal in the quarter-finals (pictured with a dejected Beckham after the match).
Beckham’s post has received more than 250,000 likes since it was posted this afternoon.
In the caption, the former England midfielder said he knew the meeting with his former manager would likely be his last.
She wrote: ‘We laughed, we cried and we knew we were saying goodbye.
‘Sven, thank you for always being the person you’ve always been – passionate, caring, calm and a true gentleman.
‘I will be eternally grateful for you naming me your captain, but I will always cherish these final memories of this day with you and your family.
“Thank you Sven. In your last words to me you said: “Everything will be okay.””
It is not known when the video was filmed, but Eriksson revealed in June that Beckham had visited him after he announced in January that he had been given “at best” a year to live.
During an interview with Radio Sweden’s P4 Varmland channel two months ago, the 76-year-old said Becks had visited him at his farm outside Sunne.
“I came with six liters of wine from important dates for me,” Eriksson revealed.
“She had wine from 1948, the year I was born. Very kind of her. She is genuine, she could have been a great diva, but she is the opposite.”
Beckham also brought back wine from 1982, when Eriksson won the UEFA Cup with IFK Goteborg, and 2000, when he won the Serie A title with Lazio.
He became England manager in 2001 (the team’s first foreign manager) and gave the team some much-needed tough love, adapting it into a more sophisticated and tactically refined outfit.
Eriksson was photographed in January announcing the news of his cancer to the world, prompting an outpouring of praise and love for how he was dealing with his diagnosis.
Sven Goran-Eriksson with Fernando Torres during the Liverpool Legends match in March, where he fulfilled his lifelong dream of coaching the Anfield side
Sven-Goran Eriksson was widely celebrated before his death; he is seen here at the Stadio Olimpico, the home of former team SS Lazio, in May.
Eriksson added: ‘The day before I had sent a chef who prepared the food, and then he came and stayed here for a day, we sat and chatted, a lot about football.
“This confirms, in a way, how great he is. He didn’t have to come here. I was proud that he came.”
However, he was praised for his inspiring and optimistic outlook on his diagnosis, in which he implored others to live life to the fullest.
Shortly after making his diagnosis public, he revealed his lifelong dream of managing Liverpool, a goal he was able to fulfil in March when he coached the Liverpool Legends to a 4-2 win against Ajax Legends at Anfield.
Earlier this year, she told MailOnline that Beckham had been among those she had spoken to after going public with the news of her cancer in a Swedish radio interview.
He said: ‘It’s been crazy. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the radio interview aired. I’m amazed by all this support, I didn’t expect it. I never imagined this kind of reaction.
‘To be honest, the broadcast wasn’t supposed to come out until Sunday, but it did and it’s fine, there’s nothing I can do, but I’ve been getting so many calls, all the time, it’s nice.
“I’ve spoken to David Beckham, I won’t say what he said, but it was very kind of him to call me. We speak from time to time, every few months, and I’ve also heard Roberto Mancini (former Manchester City manager) speak.
“I heard from people who were at the Football Association when I was there, Wayne Rooney’s agent sent me a message and then there were surprise calls from people I hadn’t heard from in years, but that’s how it is.”
Sven-Goran Eriksson in a recent Amazon Prime documentary about his life, titled ‘Sven’
Sven-Goran Eriksson with his partner Yaniseth Alcides in Stockholm, Sweden, on January 22
Sven-Göran Eriksson’s children Lina and Johan (pictured in Stockholm in June 2014) said today of their father: “He fought bravely against his illness for a long time, but now the end has come.”
In a Prime Video documentary aired days before he died, Sven opened up about the ups and downs of his life, including how he was coping with the news that he had been diagnosed with cancer.
He said: “It was a shock. It’s one of those that doesn’t go away.”
“But I hope you can stop them. I don’t feel pain, but I know it’s there.
“One day it will take you. Before that day, live instead of sitting around thinking about what will happen and when.”
Eriksson’s children Lina and Johan said in a statement: ‘Our father Sven-Goran Eriksson fell asleep peacefully at his home in Björkefors, just outside Sunne, this morning. For a long time he fought bravely against his illness, but now it has come to an end.
‘Our thoughts are with Sven-Goran’s father Sven, his girlfriend Yaniseth and their son Alcides, his brother Lasse and his wife Jumnong, as well as all good friends and acquaintances in Sweden and around the world.
‘Dad told us earlier this year about his serious illness and received an incredible response from friends and football fans across Europe.
‘He was invited to various football teams in England, Italy, Portugal and Sweden. They shared their love for football and for Dad. It was unforgettable for him and for us.
She expressed her gratitude and joy, saying that such beautiful words are usually only spoken when someone has died.
They included a quote from Sven himself, in which he said: “I listen to it while I’m alive and I’m incredibly grateful for that. The heart beats twice and tears flow.
“I’ve had the best job in the world and I’ve been happy every day for long periods. It’s been fantastic.”
Lina and Johan added: “We have shared his gratitude and have been able to experience the wonderful encounters between him, football and all his friends. We thank you all for these positive memories and for your support during his illness.”
‘We hope you remember Svennis as the good and positive person he always was, both in public and at home with us.’
