Sven-Göran Eriksson: "I have terminal cancer, I have about a year to live"

The former coach of Roma, Lazio and England Sven-Göran Eriksson revealed that he has terminal cancer. The 75enne, who coached theEngland for five years before leaving after the 2006 World Cup, he stepped down from his last role as sporting director in Swedish club Karlstad 11 months ago due to health problems.

"Everyone sees that I have a disease that is not good, and everyone assumes that it is cancer, and it is.", Eriksson told Swedish radio P1. "But I have to fight it as long as possible. I know that in the best case scenario I have about a year, in the worst case scenario even less. Or in the best case scenario, I assume even longer. I don't think the doctors I have at my disposal can be completely sure; they can't put in a day."

Eriksson said he is trying to stay positive and focus on the bright sides of life. "It's better not to think about it", he said. "You have to trick your brain. I could go around thinking about it all the time and sit at home and be unhappy and think I'm unlucky and so on." "It's easy to end up in that position. But no, I look at the positives and don't let yourself get buried under problems, because this is obviously the biggest setback of all."

 Eriksson won the Scudetto with Lazio in 1999-2000

Eriksson has had a successful coaching career, winning titles in several countries, including Portugal, Italy and England. He led Lazio to their second and most recent Scudetto in 1999-2000.

Eriksson took over from Kevin Keegan As England manager in January 2001, he took charge of the country's so-called golden generation, the label given to a group of players who thrived at their clubs. Despite the wealth of talent to draw on, including David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, Eriksson was eliminated in the quarter-finals at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, as well as at the 2004 European Championships.

His career since leaving England has seen periods at Manchester City e Leicester, in addition to periods at the helm of national teams Mexico, Ivory Coast and the Philippines.

Eriksson added: "I was completely healthy, then I collapsed, fainted, and ended up in the hospital. After a medical consultation, I discovered I'd had a stroke and that I already had a tumor. I don't know how long ago, maybe a month, maybe a year. They found out I had cancer, but the day before I'd run five kilometers. It came out of nowhere. And that shocks you. I don't feel any great pain. But I was diagnosed with a disease that you can slow down but you can't operate on. So it is what it is.", concluded Sven.

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