Sven-Göran Eriksson

Sven-Göran Eriksson {{Audio|sv-Sven-Göran_Eriksson.ogg|listen}} (born February 5, 1948) is a Swedish football manager. He is currently the manager of the English national football team.

Early Life and Managerial Career

Born in Torsby, Eriksson had a fairly undistinguished playing career in the lower divisions of Swedish football at KB Karlskoga and Degerfors IF, before being forced to retire prematurely due to a knee injury in 1975. After retirement, Eriksson became first a coach, and then manager of Degerfors, taking the side from the Third Division to the First Division in three years.

Related Topics:
Torsby - Swedish football - KB Karlskoga - Degerfors IF - Knee - 1975 - First Division

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His success with Degerfors attracted the attention of much larger clubs, and Eriksson joined IFK Göteborg in 1979. He won the Swedish Cup in his first season, and a "treble" of League, Cup and UEFA Cup (Göteborg beating Hamburger SV 4-0) in 1982.

Related Topics:
IFK Göteborg - 1979 - Swedish Cup - UEFA Cup - Hamburger SV - 1982

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Eriksson's European success led to him being head-hunted by Portuguese club SL Benfica, and he had a similarly quick impact there, Benfica winning the Portuguese Championship and finishing runners-up in the UEFA Cup. After a second Championship the following year, Eriksson moved on to Italy, becoming boss of AS Roma. He was not as immediately successful at Roma as he had been before, but he still won a Coppa Italia in 1986.

Related Topics:
Portuguese - SL Benfica - Portuguese Championship - Italy - AS Roma - Coppa Italia - 1986

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After a trophyless two years at Fiorentina, Eriksson moved back to Benfica for a second stint in 1989, where he led the team to the final of the European Cup (losing to AC Milan 1-0) in 1990, and another League title in 1991. In 1992 Eriksson returned to Italy to try his luck again, with Sampdoria, but he only managed another Coppa Italia in 1994.

Related Topics:
Fiorentina - 1989 - European Cup - AC Milan - 1990 - 1991 - 1992 - Sampdoria - 1994

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Eriksson finally found major success in Italy when he joined Lazio in 1997 (after controversially reneging on a deal to join English club Blackburn Rovers); with Lazio he won the Coppa Italia twice (1998 and 2000), the European Cup Winners' Cup (1999 - the very last tournament), and the Serie A title (the Scudetto) in 2000 — only the second time that the Roman club had won the Italian championship in their history.

Related Topics:
Lazio - 1997 - English - Blackburn Rovers - 1998 - 2000 - European Cup Winners' Cup - 1999 - Serie A

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