Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has revealed that David Beckham recently paid him a memorable visit.
Eriksson, 76, was Beckham’s manager in the England national team for more than five years between 2001 and 2006.
Beckham served as the Three Lions captain during this time and the pair were said to be very close.
Their friendship has seemingly continued since then as they recently spent a day together on Eriksson’s farm.
Eriksson said back in January that he was trying to ‘appreciate every day’ after being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer following five ‘small strokes’.
Sven-Goran Eriksson (left) pictured alongside David Beckham at Euro 2004 in Portugal
Eriksson, 76, pictured earlier this month in Sweden, is terminally ill with pancreatic cancer
Speaking last week to Radio Sweden’s P4 Varmland channel about his recent reunion with Beckham, Eriksson said: ‘He came with six litres of wine from dates that were important to me.
‘He had wine from 1948 – the year I was born, very nice of him. He is genuine, he could have been a big diva, but he is quite the opposite.’
Beckham’s wine selection also included a bottle from 1982, when Eriksson led IFK Goteborg to UEFA Cup glory, and 2000, as a nod to the Swede’s victorious Serie A campaign at Lazio in the 1999-00 campaign.
Eriksson – who also won trophies for Degerfors IF, Benfica, Roma and Sampdoria during a managerial career that spanned five decades – added: ‘He (Beckham) ate herring and potatoes and elk meat.
‘The previous day he had sent a chef who fixed the food, and then he came and was here for a day, we sat chatting, a lot about football.
‘It confirms, in a way, how great he is. He didn’t have to come here. I felt proud that he came.’
Former midfielder Beckham, 49, is now the president and co-owner of MLS club Inter Miami
Eriksson enjoyed another special day back in March when he achieved a life-long dream of managing his favourite club, Liverpool.
As part of a management team that also included Ian Rush, John Barnes and John Aldridge, Eriksson sat in the Anfield dugout as Liverpool beat Ajax 4-2 in a legends charity game.
Eriksson – who received a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd – said after the match: ‘That will be a huge memory in life. Absolutely beautiful.’
