Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi has given his emotional goodbye to former Lazio coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.
The current Nerazzurri coach gave his message of tribute to the Swedish football icon, who passed away today at the age of 76.
The world of football lost one of its most recognizable and accomplished coaches today.
Swedish coach Eriksson passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 76.
Eriksson had spent several decades coaching a number of top European clubs.
These included four different clubs in Serie A. Eriksson had spells at the helm of Roma, Fiorentina, and Sampdoria.
And between 1997 and 2001, Eriksson had his last stint in charge of and Italian club. He coached Lazio for those four season.
Eriksson famously won the Serie A title with the Biancocelesti in the 1999-2000 season. That is the most recent league title that they have won.
And the Swedish coach left his mark in more ways than just bringing trophies.
Eriksson also had a big impact on many of the players in the Lazio squad over his years at the club. There were plenty of iconic players at the club over his time in charge.
One of the players who was particularly influenced by Eriksson was Inzaghi.
Simone Inzaghi Gives Emotional Farewell To Sven-Goran Eriksson: “You’ll Always Be With Me”
It was Eriksson who brought Inzaghi to Lazio in the summer of 1999.
Inzaghi spent two seasons playing under the Swedish icon. He was part of the Biancocelesti squad that won the title in 2000.
And Inzaghi would go on to follow in the footsteps of Eriksson, who was something of a mentor to him in his coaching journey.
The 48-year-old is now widely regarded as one of Europe’s top coaches.
Inzaghi got into coaching young. Not long after ending his playing career he became a youth team coach at his old team Lazio.
In 2016 Inzaghi became the head coach of the Biancocelesti’s senior team. And then in 2021 he made the move to Inter, where he is currently coach.
And Inzaghi owes a lot to the influence that Eriksson had on him early in his career.
The Inter coach writes, “The death of Sven-Göran Eriksson is deeply saddening for me.”
“I was really young, I’d just arrived in Rome and he helped me a lot. He was fundamental in my development as a player and a man.”
“I admired his calmness, how polite he was and the way he really respected everybody. He was a source of inspiration for me. I’m here today thanks partly to him and what he taught me.”
“Sven was a great man, an example in life for us all.”
“In these last few months, he showed his strength and desire to live, another demonstration of his greatness. He taught us to live while he was dying.”
“Rest in peace, Sven, and thank you for everything. You will always be with me.”
