Sven Goran Eriksson will join the Liverpool squad for the legends game against Ajax next month, fulfilling his lifelong dream of leading a Reds team at Anfield.
The 76-year-old recently admitted he is suffering from pancreatic cancer and may only have a year to live. It was revealed during the flurry of support for Eriksson that the former England manager regretted never having coached Liverpool, the team he and his father both supported.
This prompted the idea from the footballing world of Eriksson taking charge of the Liverpool Legends when they host Ajax Legends in a charity game on March 23.
Before taking to the dugout, the Swede will deliver the team talk alongside legendary Liverpool players Ian Rush, John Barnes, and John Aldridge.
Jerzy Dudek and Djibril Cissé, two members of the Reds’ 2005 Champions League winning team, are expected to play in the match and striker Ryan Babel will play for both teams due to his affiliation with both clubs.
Last month Eriksson said: “My father is still a Liverpool supporter and I am a Liverpool supporter too, always have been.
“So I always wished to be the manager of Liverpool and that will not happen, but I’m still a Liverpool fan.”
Reds manager Jurgen Klopp also issued an invitation for Eriksson to spend a day at the team’s training facility.
Having managed for 42 years, Eriksson was the first foreign manager of the England national team, taking the side to the World Cup quarter-finals in 2002 and 2006 as well as the 2004 European Championships.
Eriksson had spells with Manchester City and Leicester at club level while enjoying immense success at Lazio in Italy, where he won seven trophies, including the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, two Italian Cups, and Serie A.
However, the former manager of Roma and Benfica will now have the opportunity to manage Liverpool in a charity match next month, with all earnings going to the LFC Foundation and its affiliated charities.
Two previous legends matches between Manchester United and Celtic raised £1.45 million for the LFC Foundation, which is currently being used to support major projects in the Liverpool City Region and elsewhere.
