- Sven-Goran Eriksson has died after losing his battle with pancreatic cancer
- Micah Richards says the Swede was the best coach he ever worked with
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Former defender Micah Richards has paid an emotional tribute to his former coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.
The former England manager passed away on Monday after losing his battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 76.
Tributes were paid at Premier League grounds on Saturday to the Swede, who was a prolific coach in European football.
Richards played with Eriksson at Manchester City and revealed he “shed a tear” upon hearing the news of his passing.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Richards said: “The day his passing was announced I shed a tear, I’m not afraid to say that. There’s a picture there behind us, it was emotional to see him there.”
Micah Richards paid tribute to his former coach Sven-Goran Eriksson (right)
Eriksson died on Monday at the age of 76 after losing his battle with pancreatic cancer.
‘Stuart Pearce gave me my debut, but the manager who believed in me the most, the one who gave me confidence, used to tell me: “You’re one of the best defenders in England. Go out and show everyone what you can do.”
“If I was going through a bad time, he would put his arm around me and ask me what was going on in my life. He was a manager who really cared about me.”
“There are certain coaches you play with who might ask you questions, but you know they don’t care too much about your answer. He cared about absolutely everything.
“As for the man, the kindest person I’ve ever met, I’d venture to say yes. As for what he did in football, it was great, but we’ll remember him for the person he was. It was a sad day when he passed away.”
Richards went on to praise Eriksson’s ability as a coach and also as the man he was off the pitch.
Richards played with Eriksson and revealed he “shed a tear” after hearing the news
The 36-year-old added: “He was a joyful character. I think he always tried to see the positive in absolutely everything he did.”
‘He wouldn’t want us to talk negatively about the situation now, he would want us to be positive because he was a great human being and he saw life in a different way and in some ways he gave me that inspiration to enjoy, to do the best I could and I certainly played one of the best games of my career with him just because of the person he was and the ability to make me feel so good.
‘We always talk about footballers now, I’ve talked about Mancini harshly and that worked sometimes, but I think especially modern players now would love to have someone like Sven around because he would make you feel great.’
Eriksson’s former club Manchester City were among those who paid tribute to him with an emotional minute’s applause before kick-off against West Ham.
Richards says Eriksson was the best coach he worked with during his career
Eriksson had already taken charge at City following his previous spell as England manager, in which he led the Three Lions to the quarter-finals of the World Cup and European Championship.
He also managed Leicester City in England and spent time in Italy managing teams such as Roma, Lazio and Sampdoria in a legendary coaching career.
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