Sven's final whistle
Daily Mirror UK|September 14, 2024
Beckham joins Eriksson family & friends at funeral | Music, laughs, carnival.. the celebration he wanted
PATRICK HILL
Sven's final whistle

THEY came together in joyous celebration of a life well lived at the tiny Swedish village where it all began 76 years ago.

And David Beckham paid a touching tribute to his former boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, laying his hand on his coffin. The former Three Lions captain shed a tear as he joined more than 1,000 mourners for the funeral at Torsby, where Sven grew up - to become a true gent of football.

But while any farewell is sad, this was full of happy memories, music and a carnival-style procession, as Sven had planned it.

Becks, 49, was joined by Sven's children Lina, 37, and Johan, 45, his dad, also Sven, 95, long-term partner Yaniseth Alcides, 54, and former girlfriend Nancy Dell'Olio, 63. Former England manager Roy Hodgson was also in the congregation at the neo-gothic style Fryksande church. Italian Nancy broke down as she told fellow mourners: "He will always be with me. He will always be a part of me."

The service was led by priest Ingela Alvskog.

As hundreds of others watched on screens outside, she set the celebratory tone by singing a poem and sparking laughter when she told how Sven began wearing suits in his teens and skipped homework to read detective novels.

This story is from the September 14, 2024 edition of Daily Mirror UK.

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This story is from the September 14, 2024 edition of Daily Mirror UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.