In an emotional homage to Sven-Goran Eriksson,
David Beckham posted a video to Instagram that he claims he knew would be his last
meeting with the former England manager. A silent video shows Becks and the
late Swede,76, walking, conversing, and laughing being shared on social media. The
location appears to be Eriksson's Sunne residence. He paid respect after the family of
the football icon revealed his passing earlier today. Eriksson battled
pancreatic cancer for a long time, inspiring people all around
the world with his optimism. The video bore no date, but it was
released after Eriksson disclosed earlier this year that Beckham paid him a
visit, bringing along a personal chef and a crate of pricey wine from the
manager's most memorable years. When the Swedish icon Eriksson
passed away earlier this morning, his family was gathered around his
bed. The news has already sparked a flurry of condolences from the
football community and beyond. Since it was posted earlier today, Beckham's
post has received nearly 350,000 likes. The former England midfielder stated
in the caption that he was aware that this would probably be his final
encounter with his former coach. "We laughed, we cried, and we knew we
were saying goodbye," the author wrote. "Sven, I appreciate you being
the kind, considerate, composed, and genuine gentleman that you have always been." "I will always be appreciative
that you made me your captain, but these final memories of this day spent with
you and your family will stay with me forever." "It will be ok," you said to me in
your parting words, Sven. Thank you." Although the exact date of the
video's filming is unknown, Eriksson disclosed in June that Beckham
had paid him a visit following his declaration in January that he had
been given "at best" a year to live. Two months prior, the 76-year-old revealed in
an interview with Radio Sweden's P4 Varmland program that Becks had paid him a
visit on his farm outside of Sunne. Eriksson had disclosed, "He came with six liters
of wine from dates that were important to me." It was really kind of him to have wine from 1948, the year I was born. He may have been a big diva,
but he is the complete opposite; he is sincere. In addition, Eriksson's wine from 1982, when he
won the UEFA Cup with IFK Goteborg, and 2000, when he won the Serie A championship
with Lazio, was delivered by Beckham. "He had sent a chef to fix the food
the day before," Eriksson continued. "He came and stayed here for a day, and
we sat chatting, a lot about football." It sort of validates how amazing he is. He had no
need to come here. I was pleased that he attended. In 2001, he was appointed manager of England, making him the team's first foreign manager.
He instilled much-needed discipline into the group, transforming it into a more
cerebral and tactically adept group. Even though he was never able to lead
the Three Lions to a championship, he elevated players like Becks, Steven Gerrard,
and Wayne Rooney to legendary status with his calm demeanor, reluctance to give in to
the negative comments, and steady hand. In 2001, he led England to a decisive 5-1 victory
over Germany in the World Cup qualifying round. A month later, Beckham's last-minute
free kick against Greece tied the score. He had, nevertheless, received recognition
for his upbeat and inspirational perspective on his illness, in which he
urged people to savor every moment of life. Soon after disclosing his illness to the world, he talked about his long-held dream of
managing Liverpool. In March, he achieved this dream as he led the Liverpool Legends to
an Anfield victory over the Ajax Legends 4-2. He said in a Swedish radio
broadcast earlier this year that he had spoken to Beckham among others
after disclosing the news of his sickness. "It's been really crazy," he
said. Since the radio interview, the phone hasn't stopped ringing.
I'm shocked by the amount of support; I didn't anticipate it all. This kind
of response is not what I expected. To be very honest, the broadcast shouldn't
have been released until Sunday, but it was, and that's okay. I can't do anything about it, but it's wonderful that I've been
getting so many calls all the time. I'll not reveal what David Beckham said,
but I will add that it was a really wise move on his part to call. We
chat every few months or so, and I also received a message from Roberto
Mancini, the former manager of Man City. "There were unexpected calls from people I hadn't
spoken to in years, and I received messages from people who were at the Football Association when
I was there," said the agent of Wayne Rooney. Days before he passed away, Sven talked
candidly about his highs and lows in a Prime Video documentary, including how he
was handling learning that he had cancer. "That was a shock," he remarked. That's
the kind of thing that never goes away. However, perhaps you can slow them down. I'm
not in pain, but I'm aware that it exists. It will take you one day. Live before that day, rather than sitting down and speculating
about what might occur and when. "Our father Sven-Goran Eriksson fell asleep
peacefully in his home at Björkefors outside Sunne this morning," Lina and Johan Eriksson's
children stated in a statement. He heroically battled his sickness for a long
period, but it has now ended. We send our condolences to Sven-father Goran's,
girlfriend Yaniseth and her kid Alcides, brother Lasse and wife Jumnong, and all of our wonderful
friends and acquaintances in Sweden and beyond. When Dad revealed his terrible illness
to us at the beginning of the year, friends and football fans all around
Europe responded incredibly well. He received invitations from
a number of Swedish, English, Italian, and Portuguese football
teams. They both loved football, and they loved their dads. It remained
a memorable experience for both of us. "He conveyed his gratitude and happiness, adding that one usually hears such tender
remarks only after someone has passed away." Sven remarked, "I get to hear it while
I'm alive and I'm incredibly grateful for that," in a quote that was included.
Tears well up when the heart beats twice. "I was happy every day for long periods of time and I had the best job in the
world." It's been wonderful. "We have shared his gratitude and got to
experience the wonderful meetings between him, football, and all his friends," Lina and
Johan continued. We appreciate everyone's support during his sickness and
these wonderful recollections. "We hope that Svennis will always be remembered as the kind and upbeat person he
was, both at home and in public."