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Sven-Goran Eriksson received a touching ovation as he led out the Liverpool Legends side for their match against Ajax on Saturday.
The former England manager stunned the world of football back in January when he announced that he had ‘about a year’ to live and was battling cancer.
He fulfilled his lifelong dream of managing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, leading his side to a 4-2 win with the likes of Fernando Torres, Djibrial Cisse and Gregory Vignal on the score sheet.
The 76-year-old was all smiles as he took to the Anfield turf before the game, cameras surrounding him and the 60,000 fans in attendance clapped his arrival.
He clapped those in attendance in response, bowing his head before waving to each stand of the ground, before being joined by Liverpool captain for the day and former club skipper Steven Gerrard.
Sven-Goran Eriksson received a heartwarming ovation as he walked out onto the Anfield pitch on Saturday
The former England manager, who has been diagnosed with cancer, was manager of Liverpool Legends for their game against Ajax
He took to the field with former Liverpool captain and skipper for the day Steven Gerrard (right)
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Eriksson, who has been in Sweden receiving treatment before revealed his new-found love for life following his diagnosis.
‘You appreciate waking up in the morning and feeling well and normally you don’t do that. You take it for granted,’ he said. ‘In the beginning when you get the diagnosis coming from nowhere, it’s like a shock but after a while you learn to live with it.’
Speaking to Channel 4, he added: ‘Today I have a normal life and I am not thinking about what’s going to happen tomorrow or the day after. Otherwise you sit down and think pity of yourself. No. Leave it.
‘I don’t talk about it very much. It is what it is. I can’t beat it, probably. Anyhow, life is beautiful.’
Eriksson had expressed his lift-long dream of managing Liverpool, which he achieved in game
The 76-year-old said that he ‘is not thinking about what is going to happen tomorrow or the day after’
He had a warm meeting with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp before the Legends game
Eriksson, who was England manager between 2001 and 2006 and also coached the likes of Manchester City and Leicester, met current Reds boss Jurgen Klopp prior to Saturday’s event.
A picture of the two was shared on Liverpool’s social media channels, with each man branding the other a ‘legend’.
The Swedish boss told Klopp: ‘Congratulations, you’re doing great’, to which the German responded: ‘Thank you very much’.
