How old is Sven-Goran Eriksson, when was he England manager and what happened with Ulrika Jonsson and Nancy Dell’Olio?
SVEN-GORAN Eriksson made his mark on both the front and back pages during a five-year stint as England gaffer.
Here’s everything you need to know about the decorated boss whose high-profile off-field dalliances always seemed slightly at odds with the conservative style of his teams.
Who is Sven-Goran Eriksson?
Sven-Goran Eriksson was born in Sunne, Sweden, on February 5 1948 and was grew up in the region of Varmland.
He had a modest playing career in the lower echelons of Swedish football, playing most of his career as a right-back for Division 4 outfit Torsby.
After hanging up his boots at the age of 27, he became the assistant of his long-time collaborator Tord Grip at Degerfors, becoming manager in 1977.
The bespectacled Swede got his big break with a move to Swedish giants IFK Goteborg in 1979, clinching the UEFA Cup as part of an historic treble in 1982.
His success opened up opportunities with some of the giants of European football, and Sven went to enjoy great domestic success.
He won the Portuguese League three times with Benfica and delivered just the second Serie A in Lazio’s history in 1999/2000, earning the nickname “The Iceman” in Italy.
The 70-year-old followed up his European success with the Rome club, winning both the UEFA Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
Sven’s globetrotting achievements made him the first manager to win league-and-cup doubles in three countries.
But his domestic career never quite hit the same heights following his time with England, and he spent five years managing in China after unsuccessful stints with Manchester City and Leicester.
When did Sven manage England?
Sven became England manager in January 2001, and held the role for over five years until 2006.
His record in charge bears comparison with any of the national team’s bosses in the modern age – he won 40 of his 67 games in charge, only tasting defeat on 10 occasions.
He also took England from 17th in the world rankings at the time of his appointment to fifth when he departed at the end of the 2006 World Cup.
However, despite overseeing some of the best years of England’s “Golden Generation”, the side failed to make the semi-finals of a major tournament, falling at the quarter-final stage on three consecutive occasions.
It wasn’t his only stint as an international boss, although you’d be forgiven for forgetting his brief, unspectacular spells at the helm of Mexico and the Ivory Coast.
What happened with Nancy Dell’Olio and Ulrika Jonsson?
Sven has two children with his first wife, Ann-Christine Pettersson, who he was married to from 1977 to 1994.
He entered a relationship with Italian lawyer and TV star Nancy Del’Ollio in 1998.
However, their romance suffered controversy when it emerged that Sven had a four-month romance with fellow Swedish celebrity Ulrika Jonsson in 2002.
Sven strayed again two years later, having an affair with Football Association secretary Faria Alam which prompted an embarrassing FA scandal.
In an interview with the HISTORY channel Sven admitted that the high-profile of his love life took its toll.
He said: “I thought I was prepared for England but I was not prepared for things outside football, my private life.
“I am not very proud that fans could probably name three of my former girlfriends.
“I don’t think it damaged my football results. But my image outside football it damaged, yes.”