Joey Barton has sent a message to Sven Goran-Eriksson wishing him well after the former England boss was diagnosed with cancer.
Eriksson managed the Three Lions at three major tournaments between 2001 and 2006, winning 59.7 per cent of his matches in charge.
Earlier on Thursday, the 75-year-old revealed he'd been diagnosed with cancer and has a year left to live.
He told Swedish radio station P1: "Everyone understands that I have an illness that is not good.
Sven Goran-Eriksson: Joey Barton has sent a message of support to the former England boss
GETTY
"Everyone guesses it's cancer and it is. But I have to fight as long as I can."
Eriksson also said he has 'maybe at best a year, at worst a little less or at best maybe even longer' to live.
And Barton, taking to X, has wished the Swede well.
"Sad to hear that about Sven. He’s had some life the boy," he said.
"It’s the one thing we should all have at the forefront of our minds.
"Our inevitable destiny. The thing we all have in common. Our mortality.
"As the great Stoics say, ‘Memento Mori.’ So don’t forget to live."
Eriksson has said he's remaining positive amid his health battle, insisting he will try to make something good out of it.
"You can't be absolutely sure. It is better not to think about it," he said.
"But you can trick your brain. See the positive in things, don't wallow in adversity, because this is the biggest adversity of course, but make something good out of it."
And Eriksson also revealed that his cancer diagnosis came after he'd collapsed while going on a 5km run.
The 75-year-old played for Torsby IF, SK Sifhalla and KB Karlskoga FF before retiring from football in 1973.
After that, he opted to become a manager.
Eriksson had stints in charge of Degefors IF and IFK Goteborg before his first big job at Benfica in 1982.
He spent two years in charge of the Portuguese giants before moving to Italy and managing giants such as Roma and Fiorentina.
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Sad to hear that about Sven.
— 👑 Joey Barton 👑 (@Joey7Barton) January 11, 2024
He’s had some life the boy. 👍
It’s the one thing we should all have at the forefront of our minds.
Our inevitable destiny. The thing we all have in common.
Our mortality.
As the great Stoics say, ‘Memento Mori.’
So don’t forget to live. 👑 https://t.co/k60KtwEOph
Another stint at Benfica followed, with the Swede managing the team again between 1989 and 1992.
He stayed in Italy to manage Sampdoria and Lazio, earning the England job in 2001.
Under Eriksson, the Three Lions reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups before being eliminated by Brazil and Portugal respectively.
England also made the last eight of the European Championships in 2004, too.
And Eriksson has managed Manchester City, Mexico, Ivory Coast, Keicester, Guangzhou City, Shanghai Port, Shenzhen F.C and the Philippines in the years since.
Sven Goran Eriksson: Former England boss managed the Three Lions between 2001 and 2006
GETTY
Speaking in 2017, meanwhile, he revealed he thought England should have won the 2006 World Cup.
And he blamed Wayne Rooney's red card against Portugal that year for costing his side.
“In 2004 and 2006, Tord [Grip, his assistant] and I and the coaching staff were looking around and we couldn’t see many teams we thought were better than us, so we thought we had a chance,” he said.
“Personally, I thought 2006 in Germany – we could have won it and maybe we should have.
“I think we were unlucky with the sending off of Rooney. We played one hour with 10 against 11 – that’s not easy at that level.”
