The first foreigner ever to take charge of the England football team, Sven-Goran Eriksson is one of the most respected coaches in the world. The Swede became national team manager in January 2001, having achieved phenomenal success coaching at club level.
His excellent track record includes the Super Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup (with Lazio), Uefa Cup (IFK Gothenburg), three Portuguese titles (Benfica) and the Swedish title (Gothenburg).
Since taking charge of England, he has guided the team to the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Brazil, and the Euro 2004 finals, which are to be held in Portugal.
 | ERIKSSON'S ENGLAND RECORD Played: 33 Won: 19 Drawn: 10 Lost: 4 |
Having enjoyed a modest career as a player, Eriksson first began coaching in 1976 as an assistant coach at Swedish side Degerfors.
After taking over the reins as head coach, he then moved to IFK Gothenburg, where he grabbed his first taste of success with the league title in 1981.
More league honours followed the next year, as well as his first European triumph in the form of the Uefa Cup.
Eriksson's Midas touch continued in Portugal with Benfica and in Italy with Roma, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and, most significantly, Lazio.
Within a couple of decades, he had built up a reputation as one of the most progressive coaches in world football.
His record of success and his tactical nous was no more apparent than at Lazio, where he followed his Uefa Super Cup triumph with an Italian league and Cup double in 2000.
 Eriksson clashed with the FA over Leeds striker Smith |
He quickly came to the attention of the English football chiefs, who decided to hand him responsibility for the national team in 2001. As the first foreigner at the helm, Eriksson attracted plenty of critics.
But he won most of them over by steering his side to four consecutive wins, the most successful start of any England coach in history.
One of his greatest moments was England's 5-1 drubbing of Germany in Munich, which helped the team qualify for the 2002 World Cup finals.
But it has not always been plain sailing for the ice-cool Scandinavian.
He has struggled at times to deal with the intense media glare on his private life.
More recently, he has clashed with his employers over Rio Ferdinand and Alan Smith.
But despite these setbacks and the occasional hiccups - like the embarrassing loss to Australia in February - Eriksson remains a respected and valued figure.
MMIX
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