Ex-Man City and Leicester manager issues heartbreaking 'don't be sorry' message to fans in documentary trailer

The former England and Manchester City manager, 76, revealed in January that he has terminal pancreatic-cancer and at best a year to live.  The new ‘Sven’ documentary, which will air this week, speaks to the Swedish manager, about his career, members of his family and ex-partners Nancy Dell 'Olio and Faria Alam. 

In a heartbreaking clip, Eriksson says: “I hope you will remember me as a positive guy trying to do everything he could do. Don’t be sorry, smile. Thank you for everything, coaches, players, the crowds, it’s been fantastic. Take care of yourself and take care of your life. And live it.”

Speaking candidly about his cancer diagnosis and final year he added: “I had a good life. I think we are all scared of the day when we die, but life is about death as well. You have to learn to accept it for what it is. Hopefully at the end people will say, ‘yeah, he was a good man’. But everyone will not say that.”

Eriksson was the first foreign coach to manage the England football team when he took on the role in 2001 to 2006. He took the squad to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and 2004 Euros.

A year on from leaving the England job, Eriksson took over at City, lasting a single season after a ninth place finish in the Premier League. A wide-ranging career saw the Swede also manage Benfica, Roma, Sampdoria, Lazio and Leicester.

Sven is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video from Friday August 23.