Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral: David Beckham among mourners at service in Sweden

Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has been laid to rest. David Beckham is among 600 people attending his funeral in Torsby, Sweden.

In January, Eriksson said he had “at most” a year to live after being diagnosed with cancer. His family announced on August 26 that he had died at the age of 76.

Eriksson’s coffin arrived at the church in Fryksande at approximately 7:00 a.m. local time.

The service was held in Swedish and English. Hundreds of mourners gathered on the lawn outside the church to watch the service on a large screen.

The eulogy referred to the final months of Eriksson’s life, when he realised his dream of coaching Liverpool during a charity match in March.

An honor guard formed as his coffin was placed in a hearse and taken to Kollsbergs hembygdsgard.

Guests included Roy Hodgson, Eriksson’s successor as England manager, and members of the Swedish royal family.

Beckham, who captained the Three Lions under Eriksson, was also in attendance.

Eriksson was the first non-British manager of the England team and in his five years at the helm he led the club to the quarter-finals of three major tournaments.

His father, Sven, 95 years old, greeted the relatives together with Eriksson’s children, Lina and Johan.

Eriksson has managed 12 clubs, including Manchester City, Leicester, Roma and Lazio, and has won 18 trophies.

The Swede was also coach of Mexico, Ivory Coast and the Philippines.

After retiring as a player at the age of 27, he began his coaching career at Degerfors in 1977, after which he moved to fellow countryman Gothenburg, winning the national title, two national cups and the 1982 UEFA Cup.

He then spent two spells with Portuguese giants Benfica and coached Italian clubs Roma, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Lazio, winning seven trophies at those clubs, including the Serie A title, two Italian Cups and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.