Sven-Goran Eriksson

At 76 years old, Sven-Goran Eriksson has this physical status:

Sven-Göran Eriksson (born 5 February 1948) is a Swedish football manager and former player. Eriksson won eighteen trophies with a variety of league clubs in Sweden, Portugal, and Italy between 1979 and 2000, becoming the first manager to win league and cup doubles in three countries, as well as two clubs in England.

Eriksson has worked in ten countries: Sweden, Portugal, Italy, England, Mexico, Ivory Coast, Thailand, China, and the Philippines.

Early life

Eriksson was born in Sunne and raised in Torsby, both in Värmland. His father, who was also named Sven, was a bus conductor, and Ulla, his mother, worked in a textile store. After his younger brother Lars-Erik's attempt to pronounce his name, Eriksson went on to become well-known and is commonly referred to in Sweden mononymously by the name "svennis."

Personal life

My Story, Eriksson's autobiography, was published in November 2013. In July 1977, he married Ann-Christine Pettersson. In 1994, the couple filed for divorce. They have two children, son Johan (born in 1979), and daughter Lina (born in 1987).

Nancy Dell'Olio was introduced to Eriksson in May 1998, and the two soon formed a friendship six months later. They moved to London in 2001. Eriksson had an affair with television host Ulrika Jonsson in the beginning of 2002, but he returned to Dell'Olio. Eriksson had an affair with secretary Faria Alam in August 2004. Dell'Olio was enraged, but he decided to stick with Eriksson. In August 2007, the couple wedners finally broke up.

Eriksson said in October 2016 that he was going to take legal action against Mazher Mahmood on the grounds that the News of the World story in January 2006 had cost him his job.

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Playing career

At the age of 16, Eriksson made his Swedish football Division 4 team Torsby IF debut. After moving to Säffle to study economics, he changed clubs to SK Sifhälla. He joined the Swedish football Division 2 team KB Karlskoga FF in 1972, where he also worked as a physical education instructor in Rebro.

Tord Grip, Karlskoga's player-manager, who favored the English style of play that Bob Houghton and Roy Hodgson brought to the country, was heavily influenced. Eriksson retired from playing in 1975 at the age of 27, after giving up on his desire to play professionally; he summed up his brief playing career by saying, "I was seen as a distinctly average defender but someone who rarely made mistakes."

Management career

Eriksson had been drafted to work as a Tord Grip's assistant at Degerfors after resigning as a player. Grip was appointed assistant manager of Sweden's national team a year later, and Eriksson became Degerfors' manager. His tenure as boss lasted from 1 January 1977 to 31 December 1978. In 1977 and 1978, he led the team to the playoffs, winning the former and promotion to Swedish Football Division 2 in the latter.

Eriksson was appointed manager of IFK Göteborg on January 1, 1979, after his success with assistant manager Tom Chadney by his team attracted the attention of several major clubs. Many of the players had never even heard of him.

They finished second in the Allsvenskan and won the Svenska Cupen for the first time in the club's history, defeating Tvidabergs FF 6–1 in the final. Although the team's style did not make him popular, the team's style did not make him popular. He brought results ahead of style, heightened tactical knowledge, and efficiency, as well as reinforcing the team's old cavalier look.

As a result, the average attendance dropped by 3,000 to 13,320. He was influenced by Houghton and Hodgson and played a 4–4–2 with zonal marking and heavy pressing like Grip. Göteborg placed third in the 1980 season and second in 1981. They won the treble in the following season. The squad won the League and a following playoff, the Svenska Cupen, beating IF 3–2 in the final.

Eriksson's international breakthrough came in 1982, when he led IFK Göteborg to the first UEFA Cup for a Swedish club, defeating Valencia in the quarter finals and 1. In the semi-finals, FC Kaiserslautern will face FC Kaiserslautern. Hamburger SV was the first to qualify for the finals.

Göteborg defeated Gothenburg by a late deciding goal and took a 1–0 score, bringing the 1981–82 UEFA Cup to a close, with an aggregate score of 4–0. His club's success sparked curiosity in his abilities from other clubs, leading him to leave IFK Göteborg in August 1982.

Eriksson's European success resulted in him being recruited by Portuguese club Benfica, which he joined on September 1, 1982. Eriksson made a dramatic impression on the Primeira Diviso, Taça de Portugal, and finishing runners-up in the 1982–83 UEFA Cup to Anderlecht, winning the Primeira Diviso. Eriksson was promoted to Italy after winning his second straight league title, then moved to Roma, where he was then named head of Roma.

Eriksson joined Roma on July 1, 1984. He was not as good at the Giallorossi as he had expected, but the club nevertheless won a Coppa Italia in 1986. Eriksson left the club on May 6th, 1987.

Fiorentina's Eriksson was boss from 1987 to 1989. Eriksson's time with the club was trophyless, and he returned to Benfica for a second time in 1989. Eriksson led the Portuguese side to the final of the 1989–90 European Cup (losing to Milan 1–0) in 1990 and another Primeira Diviso title in 1991. Eriksson joined the club in June 1992.

Eriksson led Sampdoria in July 1992, where he won another Coppa Italia title in 1994. In comparison to his predecessor, Vujadin Bokov, he introduced a defensive system that was based on zonal marking rather than man-marking. He left in June 1997.

Eriksson left Sampdoria at the end of the season in December 1996 to lead Blackburn Rovers. In February 1997, he returned to Italy and became the new boss of Lazio, but before that, he went back to his word and said to stay in Italy. Eriksson voiced family reasons for wanting to stay in Italy, and Rovers will proceed to appoint Roy Hodgson.

Eriksson sent Swede Tord Grip as his secretary. Eriksson won the Coppa Italia and the Italian Supercup in 1998 and 2000, as the second time the Roman team had won the Italian championship in their history, and Lazio's in 2000.

The Football Association (FA) pursued Eriksson as his replacement following England manager Kevin Keegan's departure after a home loss to Germany in October 2000. Eriksson had intended to take over after the end of his employment in June 2001, but he resigned his position early at Lazio, and he officially began his England service in January of this year. Eriksson was the first non-British manager to be appointed coach of England's national football team.

Eriksson turned around England's bid for qualification for the 2002 World Cup with several crucial victories over lesser opponents before his first real test – England versus Germany in Munich on September 1, 2001. England defeated their long-time rivals 5-1. Despite this, England still needed a late equalizer at home to Greece in order to qualify automatically.

England qualified with Sweden, defeated their longtime rivals Argentina 1–0, and drew with Nigeria to qualify in second place from the four-team competition. The team defeated Denmark 3–0 in the Round of 16, before losing 2–1 to ten-man Brazil, who went on to win the tournament.

After winning their first qualifying match in Slovakia, England drew at home with Macedonia and was booed by their supporters after losing a friendly to Australia. England, on the other hand, secured their next five qualifiers and qualified by a point from the last game to qualify, drew 0–0 in Turkey to top the class.

England led 1–0 against France after 90 minutes in their first match in the finals, but lost after Zinedine Zidane scored twice in injury time. England defeated Switzerland 31-0 and a 4–2 win over Croatia, but England later qualified for a quarter-final against Portugal's hosts Portugal, despite a 3–0 victory. Michael Owen led England to an early lead, but it was only for Hélder Postiga to equalize. Sol Campbell's goal was disallowed before losing on penalties.

Despite the ferocious antipathy shown by some in the English media, the England team maintained absolute confidence in him, and threatened to protest in July 2004 during a media-driven movement to depose him. Eriksson's deal was renewed and extended by two years to include UEFA Euro 2008. Eriksson's England team lost a World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland 1–0 on September 7, 2005, the first time England had lost to that squad since 1972, and one of just five competitive games lost during Eriksson's tenure.

Although it was England's first defeat in a World Cup or European Championship qualifying match under Eriksson, the former England manager's position was put into question and he was chastised by some fans and commentators from the BBC for his apparent lack of charisma and tactical knowledge. England defeated Austria 1–0, prompting criticism that was largely dismissed. In a 2–1 win over Poland, some of the media's skepticism was answered, however, as England put in a much improved show, despite Beckham's absence due to suspension and Sol Campbell and Steven Gerrard's injury.

After being tricked into thinking that a wealthy Arab would buy the team and want him as manager, Eriksson said in January 2006 that if England wins the World Cup, he would be able to leave England to oversee Aston Villa. The wealthy "Arab" was actually Mazher Mahmood, an undercover News of the World reporter.

Eriksson would leave his job after the 2006 World Cup, according to the FA, and it was believed that the News of the World allegations played a role in this decision. Both sides were later denied, with Eriksson stating that there was no such deal to end his employment right after the World Cup.

South Africa became the first prospective employer to publicly reveal its interest in Eriksson in March 2006. Carlos Alberto Parreira, however, was fired from his position.

England finished second in Group B, defeating Paraguay and Tobago before losing by 2–2 to Sweden in the finals, although the English media found their results to be disappointing.

Eriksson's England defeated Ecuador in a lackluster 1–0 match despite high temperatures in the second round thanks to a David Beckham trademark free kick. Eriksson did fall into Luiz Felipe Scolari's Portugal once more. With Beckham's injury and Wayne Rooney's sentencing on Rio Carvalho, they defeated England 3–1 on penalties. Eriksson's third successive defeat in a major tournament quarterfinal was a success. Eriksson wished England well and singled out Rooney for special praise in his farewell address, advising the public not to blame the youngster's dismissal for England's dismissal.

Eriksson's FIFA World Rankings rose from seventeenth place in January 2001 to fifth in July 2006, ranking fourth in the country's second most effective manager after Alf Ramsey. England finished third in all three international tournaments under Eriksson's tenure, losing only three competitive games (excluding extra time) and achieving top qualifying positions in all three international tournaments.

ESPN FC's Chief, Daniel O'Connor, said he had turned down the opportunity to lead Jamaica as well as an unidentified participating club in the UEFA Champions League in July 2006. It was rumored that he was in talks to control Newcastle in October 2006, which his agent denied.

Eriksson was appointed as the new manager of Manchester City in July 2007, almost a year to the day he left the England job. He was City's first manager from outside the United Kingdom and the first Swedish manager in the Premier League. Rolando Bianchi, along with midfielders Gélson Fernandes, Geovanni, Martin Petrov, and Elano; and defenders Vedran orluka and Javier Garrido, got signed before the season began.

Manchester City defeated reigning Premier League champions Manchester United on September 19th to advance to the top of the 2007–08 Premier League table after three games without conceding a single point. For August, Eriksson was named Premier League Manager of the Month. During the remainder of 2007, the club remained in the top six and were third throughout October and November, but they dropped to seventh on January 12, 2008 after losing only one of their previous five games.

Owner Thaksin Shinawatra said in Spring 2008 that he would have Eriksson after only one season due to a "avalanche of very poor results that are unacceptable at this level." Manchester City lost 8–1 to Middlesbrough, the biggest loss of Eriksson's career. Some thought that the team had "gone on strike" as a symbolic protest during the game, but Richard Dunne's red card after 15 minutes made the game difficult for City.

Manchester City finished ninth in the league, just one place away from winning the UEFA Cup 2008–09 qualifying positions. Manchester City later earned a spot in the Premier League for finishing as the top-placed team in the UEFA Fair Play League, which had not yet qualified for a European competition in the UEFA Fair Play League for 2007–08. Eriksson became Manchester City's first manager since 1969-1970 to win both league derby games against Manchester United and also secured the club's joint highest Premier League point total, 55.

Manchester City announced by club statement on 2 June 2008 that they had broken business with Eriksson by "mutual consent," with Eriksson still on two years in office. Following the announcement of his resignation, the City supporters' groups initiated a petition that was sent to the club with around 14,000 signatures.

Eriksson was officially signed to lead the Mexico national team on June 3rd. After Mexico's World Cup qualifier against Belize on June 21, he officially began his duties. In a CONCACAF World Cup qualifier against Honduras on August 20, he made his debut as the head of Mexico. Mexico defeated 2–1. Some matches were poor, as Mexico tied with Canada and lost to Jamaica and Honduras.

Eriksson's side lost 2–0 to the United States on February 11, 2009, putting him under increasing strain. Fans had been calling for him to resign or be fired, while English club Portsmouth had rumors that they wanted to make him their new manager. Members of the Portsmouth board travelled to Mexico City to negotiate contract negotiations with Eriksson and a potential compensation deal with the Mexican Football Federation boosted this link.

Eriksson denied that he would leave Mexico and return to Portsmouth on March 3, 2009, saying he will continue and help Mexico qualify for the World Cup. Eriksson was fired as national team coach after a 3–1 World Cup qualifier in Honduras. As boss, Eriksson had only won one of his last seven non-friendly games.

Following the club's takeover by Middle East consortium Munto Finance, Eriksson was named as director of football at Notts County in July 2009, but not confirmed, on a £2 million per year basis. With a large percentage of the company's stock holding making up his contract, it is likely that his deal was based on the club's future.

Eriksson later said that he was attracted by the consortium's proposal to bring the world's oldest league team to the top of the Premier League, and that they had the funds and commitment to do so. Sol Campbell and Kasper Schmeichel joined the club from Premier League clubs, and large-scale investment in new facilities was promised. Campbell, on the other hand, played just one game before leaving for just one game before being dismissed, and Schmeichel was released at the end of the season.

In November 2009, county's major debts, as well as an unpaid tax bill, appeared. Following the club's takeover by former Lincoln City chairman Ray Trew, Eriksson resigned as director of football on February 11, 2010. Eriksson agreed to a multi-million loan in order to assist with the takeover, which chairman Trew described as the act of a "absolute gentleman." At the end of the season, Notts County was proclaimed as Champions of League Two.

Eriksson took over the Ivory Coast national team on March 28, 2010. Eriksson's salary was never disclosed, but it has been reported that he earned $270,000 for accepting the position. The Ivory Coast of Portugal defeated Portugal 0–0 in Group A of the 2010 World Cup finals on June 15th, followed by a 3–1 loss to Brazil on June 20.

Despite defeating North Korea in the final group game 3–0, the Ivory Coast failed to qualify for the knockout stages. "With Eriksson, the Ivory Coast has a great balance," Brazilian coach Dunga said ahead of the match against Brazil. We used to see them play, but they didn't have this kind of organization, which they now have."

Eriksson's deal with his agent and the Ivorian Football Federation came to an end on June 25th as there were no confirmed talks of a contract extension.

As the Foxes sat in the Championship's relegation zone, Eriksson was named manager of Leicester City on October 3, 2010. In his first league game as coach, Nigel Pearson, who had been in charge of Leicester for the previous two seasons, resulted in a 1–1 draw against Hull City. Leicester beat Leeds United 2–1 at Elland Road, a short time after Eriksson's first victory under Eriksson.

Following Sam Allardyce's departure, Eriksson denied talks about becoming the new manager of Blackburn Rovers in December 2010.

Leicester's first eight league games of 2011 saw Leicester win seven of their first eight league games and eventual cup champions Manchester City face a replay in the FA Cup, with Kyle Naughton and later Yakubu improving under Eriksson.

Leicester had risen to seventh in the table on Tuesday, just one point away from a play-off position, following an injury time winner from Martyn Waghorn at home to Bristol City. Leicester's form, on the other hand, started to stutter as they lost just two out of their previous eleven games. The Foxes ended up in 10th place for the season.

Eriksson spent a lot of money in the summer of 2011, including multimillion-pound transfer fees on Matt Mills and Jermaine Beckford. Making them preseason promotion favorites. Eriksson left the club by mutual consent on October 25th, two points from a play-off position.

Three players who were drafted by Eriksson – Kasper Schmeichel, David Nugent, and Paul Konchesky – were drafted by Eriksson and survived relegation from the 2014–15 Premier League under Nigel Pearson. Eriksson was praised by Nugent for his new form at the club. Schmeichel was a key member of the first team that defeated the 2015–16 Premier League as a key player.

In an interview with Yorkshire Radio on Sunday, Eriksson, the chairman of Football League Championship team Leeds United, announced that after the dismissal of Simon Grayson, he applied for the vacant managerial role at the club. Bates went on to state that his application was turned down. Eriksson was named as the technical director of BEC Tero Sasana, a Thai Premier League team.

Eriksson was in talks with Vllerenga on Friday about the prospect of taking over the Oslo-based club's soon-to-becoming manager job. On November 21, both groups' meeting took place in Oslo, but no agreement was reached. Eriksson's talks with the Football Federation of Ukraine, who had offered him the job of head coach of Ukraine's national team, did not result in December.

Eriksson will be joining German 2 on January 15, 2013. Alexander Schmidt as assistant on the Bundesliga team in Munich. Eriksson did decline the invitation to join 1860 on January 18, 2013, but the club later revealed that he had not applied for 1860.

In the UAE Arabian Gulf League, Eriksson became technical director of Al Nasr SC in Dubai on January 21, 2013.

Guangzhou R&F of the Chinese Super League announced Eriksson as their next head coach on a nineteen-month contract that will run until December 2014. He was estimated to be paid approximately £2 million a year for the position. In the city's derby matches, he defeated former Italy coach Marcello Lippi, as the World Cup champion was the boss of Guangzhou Evergrande. Guangzhou R&F finished third in the league in 2014 under Eriksson and has since qualified for the AFC Champions League for the first time. After a tense discussion over prolonging his contract, he left Guangzhou R&F on November 10, 2014.

On November 18, 2014, Eriksson signed a two-year deal with Shanghai, China's second best team. He coached Shanghai SIPG to finish runners up in the 2015 season and qualified for the first time in AFC Champions League.

Shanghai, Germany, qualified to the quarterfinals in their debut on the AFC Champions League and guaranteed a seat in the 2017 AFC Champions League by finishing third in the league in 2016. Eriksson was chastised for failing to provide opportunities to young talents throughout his SIPG tenure. André Villas-Boas took his place on November 4, 2016.

Eriksson was the boss of Shenzhen, the Chinese League One side, after replacing Clarence Seedorf on December 5th. He played in six games of the season so far, including five league matches and a FA Cup match. Following a nine-game streak without a win, Eriksson was fired on June 14, 2017.

After being named head coach of the Philippines national team on a six-month contract, Eriksson returned to international football on October 27, 2018. He was promoted to the role by interim coach Scott Cooper, who took over after Terry Butcher's departure in August; Eriksson and Cooper worked together for English club Leicester City.

During their training camp in Qatar in October 2018, Eriksson met with the Filipino players. The 2018 AFF Championship was his first tournament in the Philippines. The Philippines ended second in Group B after victories over Singapore and Timor-Leste, as well as draws with Thailand and Indonesia. In the two-legged semi-finals, the Philippines were defeated by eventual champions Vietnam on 4–2 aggregate.

Eriksson was then tasked with leading the Philippines in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, the team's first appearance in the tournament. They lost their first group match 1–0 to South Korea. This was followed by a 3–0 loss to China PR, which was managed by Eriksson's colleague Marcello Lippi. The Philippines ended their Asian Cup campaign with a 3–1 loss to Kyrgyzstan, where Stephan Schröck's consolation goal was the Philippines' first and only goal in the tournament.

Eriksson resigned as head coach of the Philippines' winless Asian Cup debut. However, he would continue to practice as a consultant.

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