David Beckham was England captain under Sven Goran Eriksson (Picture: Getty)
Former England boss Sven-Göran Eriksson has revealed the details of a heartwarming and wine-fuelled visit from David Beckham to his farm in Sweden.
Last year, Eriksson went public with his terminal cancer diagnosis, revealing he likely had just one year to live.
The 76-year-old took charge of the national team between 2001 and 2006, appointing Beckham as captain for his first match against Spain at Villa Park.
Now, during an interview with Radio Sweden’s P4 Varmland, the Swede reflected on a touching recent visit from the former England captain who brought along six litres of wine, each relating to important milestones in Erkisson’s life.
‘He came with six litres of wine from dates that were important to me,’ Eriksson recounted.
‘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.’
In addition, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder brought bottles from 1982 and 2000, the years when won the UEFA Cup with IFK Goteborg and Serie A with Lazio.
Eriksson fulfilled a lifetime dream of managing at Anfield last year (Picture: Getty)
‘He ate herring and potatoes and elk meat,’ Erikkson added.
‘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.’
During a decorated career in the dugout, Eriksson won three league titles across two spells at Benfica, while also winning the Coppa Italia – Italy’s equivalent of the FA Cup – with Roma and Sampdoria.
In his three major tournaments with England, the Three Lions exited the 2002 World Cup to eventual winners Brazil before losing to Portugal at both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.
Eriksson’s last managerial stint came after his terminal cancer diagnosis in March when the Swede fulfilled a lifetime dream of managing Liverpool at Anfield for a legends match team against Ajax.
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