Sven-Göran Eriksson Was Married Once, and It Ended in Divorce Decades Ago

After playing professional soccer himself, Sven-Göran Eriksson went on to become one of the best-known managers in the sport. Following the news of his death in August of 2024, many are looking back at his immense legacy, which includes a stint coaching the England national team as well as several of the most high-profile clubs in the world.

Alongside his success on the pitch, though, some also wanted to know more about whether Sven was ever married. Here's what we know about his relationships, and how they were affected by his career.

Sven was married once, to Ann-Christine Patterson. That marriage lasted from 1977 until their divorce in 1994. While they were together, they had two children, who are the only children Sven ever had. After his divorce from Ann-Christine, Sven had a high-profile relationship with Italian lawyer Nancy Dell’Olio, and then he eventually settled down with Yaniseth Alcides, who was with him at the time of his death.

Although Sven's various affairs and relationships occasionally made headlines, he didn't speak much about his personal life. Instead, he kept his focus on the game of soccer, and that's what he tended to discuss in interviews. He died of pancreatic cancer after first announcing his terminal diagnosis in January of 2024.

In a documentary shot shortly before his death, Sven opened up about the details of his love life, which include several explosive affairs with TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson and FA secretary Faria Alam.

In the documentary, he describes his relationship with Ulrika saying, "Sex is one of the good things in life for all of us. She was not married. I was not married. Probably I was stupid but I think I didn't do anything criminal. I didn't really disturb anyone."

Sven's relationships made tabloid headlines, including a spat between Ulrika and Nancy over an apparent overlap in their time being in a relationship with him.

"Sven is behaving like a lying cad. He promised me it was over with Nancy but then takes her out to dinner and doesn't even call me," Ulrika once said.

Sven offered more details about his affair with Nancy in his 2013 memoir. "It was not until we met at some kind of a function in Manchester that anything romantic occurred. I was there with some people from the FA. For some reason, Ulrika was also invited. We met at the hotel the evening before and ended up spending the night together," he explained.

"Ulrika said she was writing a book about her life. 'Don't worry, Sven,'" he continued. 'You won't be in it. After that, Ulrika and I met when we could. Not daily, but now and then. It got to be more and more serious. Nancy did not suspect anything. She was travelling to Italy a lot during that time."

Clearly, Sven's love life only got more complicated following his divorce.