Photo: Bildbyrån
He collapsed after a short jog and was forced into the hospital.
Once there, Sven-Göran Eriksson received the worst imaginable news: He had incurable pancreatic cancer.
“When the news came, right in the face, I got a hell of a lot of anxiety,” he writes in the new autobiography “A wonderful journey”.
It was at the beginning of January this year that the legendary football coach Sven-Göran Eriksson himself came out with the news that he had suffered from incurable pancreatic cancer. His life could not be saved. On August 26, “Svennis” left earthly life – 76 years old. On Friday, September 13, he will be buried in Fryksände church in Torsby, where he grew up.
Just ten days after the funeral, the book publisher Mondial releases “Svennis” new autobiography, which he wrote with the help of his close friend Bengt Berg. There, the main character in question is allowed to reminisce about all the good, and less good, moments in his life. Both in terms of his fantastic career as a coach around the world, but also his sometimes stormy private life.
Then “Svennis” received his death sentence
In chapter 17 of the book, “To live”, readers get to follow “Svenni’s” inner emotional journey when he received his cancer news – the moment when he actually realized that he would die in the near future.
“My cancer news came quickly and unexpectedly, like a shock. I collapsed the day after a five kilometer jog and in connection with that the doctors could see that I had had a stroke and that I also had cancer. The course of the disease could be slowed down, but no surgery was possible,” he writes and continues:
“I found out that my time was up. The day before I was healthy, I felt completely healthy anyway. When the news came, right in my face, I got a hell of an anxiety attack, but then I think I’ve tricked my brain. I rarely think about death now. I don’t sit and ponder what it will mean, what happens when it all ends”.
Got to receive the people’s love
During the spring and summer, “Svennis” went around the world and received the praises of the people, above all in the arenas where he spent several years. He visited Lisbon (where he coached Benfica), Gothenburg, Rome (Lazio) and Genoa (Sampdoria), among others.
Everywhere he received love, nice words and tributes. It pleased him, he writes in the book. Thanks to those kinds of nice, humble gestures from the public, he himself has been able to take a more positive view of his last moments in life.
READ MORE: Hasse Backe’s most memorable moment with Sven-Göran Eriksson is one of the very best we’ve heard: “You drive me”
“I have always thought that it is important to try to see the positive in life, however difficult it may be. Burying and feeling sorry for yourself, that’s the kind of person I don’t want to be. Instead, I have tried to live as usual, strengthened by all the people I meet, friends as well as people I have never met before,” he writes.
The pieces from the book “A wonderful journey” were first published in Sportbladet. The book will be released in stores on September 23.
This is really sad to read. Hope the funeral will be as nice as it can be. Rest in peace, Sven-Göran.
How do you remember “Svennis”? Please write a comment.
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