The former England manager has revealed he has less than a year to life due to pancreatic cancer. Steven Gerrard captained the Reds and Fernando Torres was among the goalscorers in a 4-2 win over Ajax legends.
Sven-Goran Eriksson could not hold back the tears as “You’ll Never Walk Alone” rained down from a full Anfield, with the former England boss getting to live out his lifelong dream of managing Liverpool, for the day, at least.
With Eriksson in charge, a collection of Liverpool legends – even if the term applies rather loosely to some of those involved – got the better of Ajax legends 4-2 at a sold out Anfield on Saturday.
Eriksson, who revealed in January he has less than a year to live due to pancreatic cancer, never got to manage the Reds in a hugely successful nomadic coaching career that took him from his native Sweden to becoming the first foreigner to manage the Three Lions, via league titles with Benfica and Lazio in Portugal and Italy respectively.
The 76-year-old had sat in the home dugout at Anfield before in England wins over Finland, Paraguay and Uruguay, and while the stakes might not have been the same, the sentiment was even greater for Eriksson.