The celebrities greeted Eriksson’s family and friends at Fryksande Church in the Swedish town of Torsby ahead of the morning ceremony.
David Beckham greets Nancy Dell’Olio inside the church. Pic: Reuters
David Beckham and Nancy Dell’Olio were among the mourners at Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral in Sweden on Friday.
The celebrities greeted Eriksson’s family and friends at Fryksande Church in the Swedish town of Torsby ahead of the morning ceremony.
Italian lawyer Dell’Olio was in a relationship with the former England manager from 1998 to 2007, while Beckham was among the players he managed.
His partner Yanisette Alcides, daughter Lina, son Johan, and father Sven were also among the 600 guests.
Eriksson’s childhood friend Bengt Berg, who worked on a book about him in the final months of his life, said before the service: “I’m very happy and very sad at the same time. But it’s fantastic to see him returning to his first point. It’s a very curious feeling.
“He’s one of us and we share his glory. But when he returned here, he was just one of the hot dog eaters.”
Eriksson died aged 76 last month after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Beckham attends Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral
David Beckham among mourners inside the church. Pic: Reuters
Two hundred seats were reserved for family, friends, and former colleagues, with the remaining 400 left free for members of the public, as per Eriksson’s final wishes, his agent said.
The service was also streamed on a big screen outside the building, where some mourners were seen wearing the kits of his former clubs.
Wreaths covered his coffin, including ones sent by FIFA and his former Italian side Lazio.
“It is a day of grief but also a day of thankfulness,” priest Ingela Alvskog said to begin the service.
She was a childhood friend of Eriksson’s, returning to his hometown especially for the event.
It started with sombre piano music but later switched to renditions of Sir Elton John’s Candle In The Wind and Frank Sinatra’s My Way.
As they left the church, guests were asked to lay a red rose on the football coach’s coffin, which was then led through the town amid a ‘New Orleans’-style musical procession – in line with Eriksson’s wishes.
They made their way to the town’s nearby homestead museum where speeches and eulogies to ‘Svennis’ took pace.
England’s first foreign manager
The Swede became the first foreign manager of the England men’s football team in 2001, coaching players including Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, and Frank Lampard.
He left the England role after the 2006 World Cup and later managed Mexico and the Ivory Coast, as well as English clubs Manchester City and Leicester City.
He rose from being a PE teacher in Sweden, to presiding over European clubs such as Benfica and Roma, then the peaks of English football.
Announcing his death, a family statement said: “After a long illness, SGE died during the morning at home surrounded by family.
“The closest mourners are daughter Lina; son Johan with wife Amana and granddaughter Sky; father Sven; girlfriend Yanisette with son Alcides; brother Lars-Erik with wife Jumnong.”
Itlalian lawyer Dell’Olio initially described Eriksson as her “husband” in her tribute, but it was later edited to say “partner” as the couple never married.
She wrote: “When you love someone, that love never truly fades.”
In his tribute, Beckham described Eriksson as a “true gentleman”.
“We laughed, we cried & we knew we were saying goodbye… Sven thank you for always being the person you have always been, passionate, caring, calm & a true gentleman…,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I will be forever grateful for you making me your captain but I will forever hold these last memories of this day with you and your family… Thank you Sven and in your last words to me: ‘It will be ok’.”
Due to his health issues, Eriksson stepped 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.
He described the moment as “absolutely beautiful” and a “huge memory” in his life, with Liverpool winning the game 4-2.
