England Legends Poignant Messages to Sven-Göran Eriksson

thank you for everything you did for me uh throughout my career for believing in me uh when a lot of people didn't he was good actually changed my career changed my life in so many ways so I just want to say thank [Music] you Sven brilliant to see you thank you very much indeed for inviting us into your home it's it's a beautiful beautiful suround it's a pleasure this is where you were born I believe I'm born in sunna and grown up north in torsby why did you come back to where you were born then well my parents was they were alive at that time but I didn't have a own place to stay so I found out this place so I bought it 2001 I think it was when you were the England manager I guess this in the summer was a wonderful escape from managing our national team it was beautiful but as long as I was the England manager the lake was full of boats Paparazzi everywhere they were around there dear me you played right back is that right I played the Midfield at the beginning but then right back you're right I was not good enough to play first division in Sweden I played second and I finished when I was 27 to came to me and said I think it's better you help me with training because he took a new team in Sweden and stopped playing and I did that 27 good choice some decision though wasn't it really yeah it was of course it was I was uh I was not happy with it in the beginning because I thought I could do better as a player the dream was that but no I had better lack as a coach certainly did so then from assistant to being the manager being a coach what was that like for you you know told after one year together we worked he went because he went to be assistant in the national team of Sweden and then he said it's your take it it was a third division team and we won the league and when we were promoted they phoned from a better club and the rest is history as they say the journey started well I know you enjoyed living in London as well so as a I didn't know what to bring you for an invitation to sp's house so we have the uh the traditional English tea bugs for you thank you and the English shortbread yeah thank you no problem at all no thank you for for your time no no so um I know you're going to show me around this wonderful home of your let's go and have a seat over here and uh and go down memory lane you coming in I don't think she will disturb come on come on oh she wants to stay look at that I've made a friend yeah as long as you do that she stays there yeah okay how did your life change when you in there named the manager of our national team football-wise it didn't change that much but um the England was a bigger job than I thought one coach phoned me and said s congratulations to the new job when I signed for England I will give you an advice he said what is that I said live in Paris so after a year I knew what he meant but it's a great job and I was happy very proud to have it it's good and bad that you got too much attention in that job can anything prepare you for that type of I was not prepared so it became a big uh surprise for me bad surprise because where I've been before in Sweden Portugal and Italy the private lives they don't care at all about that but that became extremely important for some some of the media in England not all of them the football media is very good in England they were rather fair if you lose Northern Island away which we did I didn't expect well s s you resign tonight or tomorrow was the first question I didn't expect that but anyhow of course I don't buy the papers on the day after because they kill us and they should do so so how did you deal with the with those lows there were not too many no uh the only qualification game we lost that was against Northern irand in three years so what was not good we should have done better in the big tournaments when you first took the job though qualification was was everything I mean let's let's talk about two kns in particular the Germany night did you sense at that point what it meant for England to do that in Germany and and how special that was and that got you off to a a flying start in the job really yes we went to Germany there and I don't think we were the favorite to win the game no so of course that result is amazing you don't beat Germany away you can beat them but five 51 is incredible and it was one of those nights everything went well for us that was a special night of course what did that feel like as as the England manager to lead a team to a night like that it became all almost too much it's like we already had won the World Cup yeah we hadn't qualified so that put the expectation maybe even higher for the next games to play I was also lucky enough to be at Old Trafford against Greece I would love to have seen your heart monitor that night there I was extremely angry on the bench and we all were we we just wanted to have a point points against Greece to qualify and uh Beckham saved us of course but uh I don't know how many free kicks he had before that did you think sheringham was going to take it at one point I thought so because he went there to to say that's mine but Beckham obviously what I heard later no move it's mine and he showed the once again that good captain we didn't play that good but uh the final result was extremely good how did you feel heading to the 2002 World Cup did you think W I've still got a group capable here we should have reached the final I think we were as good as anyone there but that was a tournament we we failed I think we did okay until we met Brazil just a minute or so yeah before half time they they scored revaler we lose the ball on the Midfield twice I think and of course that's mentally a very important go for Brazil but once again I say yeah we could have beaten them and maybe we should but they they were the best team in the world cup did ronaldino mean it as fan no no but still many years after now and then we meet in some thought of football circles and I always tell him you didn't mean that yes when he said I meant it he didn't for sure we've obviously got England Brazil at Wembley what is it like to be involved in an England Brazil game Ni it's fantastic because you you meet the the nation which won most World Cups the best they're not always the best but uh Brazil is football that could easily be World Cup final yeah in two two and a half years time when I told some of my friends that you were kind enough to invite me to your house they actually wanted to say hello to you as well you ready Sven yeah just wanted to say I wish you all the very best and thank you for all the memories and all the help in my career making my dream come true playing for England at a World Cup twice um I remember I scored against nor Island and um you come over after the game and you said to me you had a glass of champagne or wine in your hand they said finally you've become a complete player and I was buzzing it's always nice to hear that from the manager wish you all the very best to you and your family it' be great to see you soon just want to say it was absolute pleasure to play for England for you that team of you should have won something I wish I have done a lot better than I actually did for you so just want to say loves F hope you're doing okay and all the best for recover fantastic I hope this finds you in good spirits I hope you're keeping fine and I hope you're enjoying the current England team who are doing so well and of course we're all looking forward to the European championships uh in the summer take care boss and all the very best to you fantastic wow St I just wanted to send you my best wishes send you some love and support been thinking about it a lot lately okay hope you're doing okay and um really looking forward to seeing you next week I be as as the gaffer at anfield I'll be really special so um just trying to get the body in in good condition so I can last the 90 minutes hi I well I'm just sending you all my best wishes and thanking you for all the support that you gave me whilst we with England um and I'd love to be able to see you soon thanks very much first of all I just want to say thank you for everything you did for me uh throughout my career for believing in me um uh when a lot of people didn't he was good actually changed my career changed my life in so many ways so I just want to say thank you for that uh your support meant so much to to me and I just want to wish you all the best lots of love stay strong um and hopefully get to see you soon but lots of love to you and your family Owen so those boys fantastic wanted to uh want thank you no problem can I have it of course you can say thank you to all of them so getting back to the current England team do you genuinely think they can win the Euros this summer from what you've seen I think so I think they have a very good chance because they have a very very good team but the strange with England today is that they have almost two teams at my time we we had 11 fantastic and we had 12 13 14 15 maybe but we didn't have a lot of uh good strikers for example so when Rooney got injured we we struggle but um yeah that part of football of course maybe France will be a tough uh opponent but I can't see any other country there doing very well Spain no Italy no we've spoken about obviously your time with Eng what what have you made of the way Gareth Southgate has has turned things around I mean he's doing results it seems to be a very United group of players he's doing very well and the last big tournament was very close now I think he will he will win the Euros what have you made of Jude Bingham I bet you would love to have coached him's F yeah I saw yeah which yes I would like to he's everywhere he can do everything you can ask him play Central defender or ask him can play Striker I think he capable to do whatever you ask him to do and uh he's scoring shooting passing defending absolutely a complete uh football play and I think it's a good good good good buy for uh Real Madrid and he he's already a big he is icon in in Madrid well let's hope he can lead England to some silverware and some memories in the summer that was very nice all these players no problem at [Music] all you have a room with all your memories is that yeah a lot of them yes 2002 what we were just talking about yes wow pity this is fantastic gift from the it's one one photo for every GL game I was in charge so you see it's a lot of them it's very nice fantas memories there's more memories from this is santor we won the Italian Cup oh just the Italian but this is Sena Movic yeah what a player and probably one of the best left foot in the world I moved from there and I moved to England and got the best right foot in the world brilliant I'm with England here Mandela yeah yeah we went to South Africa for a friendly game and the fa organized a meeting with Nelson Mandela and we talked football with him who is that usabo yes thank goodness I got that right wow that was a player and over here a man very specialty to I have a lot of things to say thank you to toor for he meant a lot for me and what's this here SP it's the invitation to a lance in Beck palace with the queen and her husband we were sitting and for half of the time we only spoke to them to the left to the left I talked to the husband and we talked to Polo I can't anything about Polo but he was very interested then second half I spoke to the queen and asked her if she likes football and she said not really that was the football we talked very special memories yeah of course of course so before we go any further Amy is your Labradoodle yes she's beautiful yeah she's very nice I've made a friend for life here I think yeah you have a friend for have a dog very similar at home right are we going to let it carry on now come on then come on well you better show me this Lake yes let's go [Music] out you see it's ice on the lake this takes your breath away and obviously Sven when the news of your illness broke back home everybody sends their well wishes has it put life into perspective for you and we've been talking about your career and and everything here uh in one way yes you appreciate waking up in the morning and feel well M and normally you don't do that you take it for for granted for granted yes so that has changed and uh in the beginning when you got the diagnose from coming from nowhere I was as healthy as uh it's like a shock M but after a while you you learn to live with it and today I uh sometimes I'm pain but today I have a normal life and I I'm not thinking about what's going to happen tomorrow or the day after is that important in your situation now yeah it is in another way sit down and thinking pity of yourself no leave it I don't talk about it very much it's what it is and can't beat it probably but uh anyhow Life is Beautiful