David Beckham’s private jet touches down in Sweden ahead of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s star-studded funeral tomorrow

David Beckham and his wife Victoria have landed at Karlstad Airport, Sweden, in preparation for the funeral of former England manager Sven-Góran tomorrow.

The 49-year-old former footballer, who has travelled to Sven’s birthplace Torsby, was captain for the Swedish coach between 2001 and 2006 at the height of their success with the Three Lions.

Eriksson died on August 26 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

The former England manager announced in January that he had just one year to live after his diagnosis. He passed away just over two weeks ago, surrounded by his family.

David paid tribute to his former coach in an Instagram post after hearing the news of his passing, also sharing a video of the two walking side by side.

David Beckham and Sven Goran Eriksson pictured during England training session at Slaley Hall Hotel on August 16, 2004 in Slaley in Newcastle, England

Swedish football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who was England manager from 2001 to 2006, died on August 26, 2024 at the age of 76 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, his agent said.

David captioned the post: ‘We laughed, we cried and we knew we had to say goodbye… Sven, thank you for always being the person you always were: passionate, caring, calm and a true gentleman.

“I will be eternally grateful to you for making me your captain, but I will cherish the memories of this last day with you and your family forever… Thank you Sven,” David added.

David’s touchdown in Sweden comes as Eriksson shares his final written words today ahead of his funeral.

With the permission of his family, Eriksson’s last column was published by The Telegraphin which he wrote about his efforts to enjoy life as much as possible.

Eriksson wrote: ‘Life is to be celebrated. I’ve always had that attitude. How can I best illustrate that? Well, you may have heard the story that one of my old players, Didier Hamann, told about me when I was sacked by Manchester City in 2008.’

Eriksson then went on to tell the story about Hamann, with the former midfielder unaware of his boss’s sacking, and asked what the duo, along with Eriksson’s former assistant Tord Grip, were celebrating when champagne was brought to the meeting.

“Celebrate life,” Eriksson continued. “That’s always been my mindset – no matter what comes your way.”

David and Victoria Beckham will attend Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral on Friday

Eriksson, who died at the age of 76, will be buried on Friday in Torsby, where he grew up, but the ceremony will be very different from traditional funerals in the region.

Eriksson became the first foreign manager of the England national team in 2001 and was in charge of 67 matches until 2006. He led the talented squad to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and to the 2004 European Championships.

‘Svennis’, as he was known in Sweden, led a ‘golden generation’ of players including David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard.

Eriksson’s tenure was almost as remembered for what happened off the pitch as it was on it, with romances including with Italian lawyer Nancy Dell’Olio, Swedish TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson and former English Football Association secretary Faria Alam during his time as England manager.

He also managed Swedish, Portuguese and Italian clubs, winning major trophies in the 1980s and 1990s before taking the England job.

After leaving England in 2006, he returned to the World Cup with Ivory Coast in 2010 and has also managed Manchester City and Leicester during his long career.