Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, 75 years old and with a long and brilliant career in several countries, admitted Thursday in an interview that he is very ill with cancer and that the prognosis is that he has about 12 months to live.
“At best, I have a year left. At worst, a little less,” said the prestigious coach in an interview with the public broadcaster Radio Sweden, who “will resist as long as I can.”
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Eriksson confessed that instead of sitting at home “complaining about bad luck” he prefers to have a “positive” outlook and not give in to “adversity”.
Eriksson had left his post as sporting director of modest Swedish club Karlstad last year, citing health problems, the last stage of a long and fruitful career that had begun in the late 1970s in his home country.
After winning the league and a UEFA Cup with Swedish Goteborg, he moved to Benfica, where he won three leagues, and from there to Italy where he spent most of his career with clubs such as Roma, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Lazio, with whom he won a league, several cups and another UEFA Cup.
Eriksson also spent time in English soccer (Manchester City, Leicester) and was coach of England, Mexico, Ivory Coast and the Philippines, as well as trying his hand in the Chinese and Thai leagues.