Prince William pays emotional tribute to Sven-Göran Eriksson after former England boss dies aged 76

PRINCE William has paid a touching tribute to Sven-Göran Eriksson after the former England manager died at the age of 76.

The Prince of Wales, 42, took to social media to express his condolences.

2006 Getty ImagesPrince William talks with the England Coach Sven Goran Eriksson during training in 2006[/caption]

TwitterPrince William pays tribute to the former England manager[/caption]

Prince William called Eriksson a ‘true gentleman of the game’News Group Newspapers Ltd

He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Sad to hear about the passing of Sven-Göran Eriksson.

“I met him several times as England manager and was always struck by his charisma and passion for the game.

“My thoughts are with his family and friends. A true gentleman of the game.”

The Swedish manager revealed in January he had “at best a year” to live after being diagnosed with cancer.

And his family have confirmed the sad news of his passing in a heartbreaking statement today.

It read: “After a long illness, SGE died during the morning at home surrounded by family.”

Gary Neville was the first former player to pay tribute to Eriksson.

The former England full-back wrote on Instagram: “Rest in Peace Sven.”

Meanwhile FA CEO Mark Bullingham said: “This is a very sad day. He gave all England fans such special memories.

“No one can ever forget the 5-1 victory in Munich against Germany under Sven’s guidance.

“Sven will be rightly recognised and forever remembered for his significant work with the England team, and for his wider contribution to the game. 

“On behalf of my colleagues at The FA, past and present, our thoughts are with his friends and family today.

“He will be much missed, and we will pay tribute to him when we play Finland at Wembley next month.”

Eriksson spent five years as the Three Lions’ boss – taking England to the quarter-finals in two World Cups and a European Championship.

His devastated family have asked for their privacy to be respected so they can mourn in private.

The Swede became the first foreign manager of the England men’s football team in 2001.

He managed superstars such as Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Michael Owen.

Eriksson left the England role after the 2006 World Cup and would later manage a host of clubs at domestic and international level.

Due to his health issues, he was sadly forced to step down as sporting director at Swedish club Karlstad in February 2023.

After announcing his cancer diagnosis, Eriksson was granted his lifelong wish when he led out Liverpool Legends, as they played in a charity match against Ajax at Anfield in March.

Revealing his illness in January, Eriksson told P1: “Everyone understands that I have an illness that is not good.

“Everyone guesses it’s cancer and it is. But I have to fight as long as I can.”

When asked about the prognosis, Eriksson said he has “maybe at best a year, at worst a little less, or at best maybe even longer”.

He added: “You can’t be absolutely sure. It is better not to think about it.

“But you can trick your brain. See the positive in things, don’t wallow in adversity, because this is the biggest adversity of course, but make something good out of it.”

GettySven, in October 2022, as Leicester City manager[/caption]