How unlikely lothario Sven-Goran Eriksson openly reflected on his affairs after high-profile relationships with Nancy Dell’Ollio, Ulrika Jonsson and Faria Alam

Sven-Goran Eriksson reflected openly on his status as an unlikely lothario in the weeks before his death at the age of 76.

The former England manager, who was terminally ill with pancreatic cancer, admitted he had been ‘stupid’ to cheat on Nancy Dell’Ollio with Ulrika Jonsson and Faria Alam, but he insisted that sex was to be celebrated and that he had ‘done nothing criminal’.

The Swede made headlines worldwide for his love life while leading England’s golden generation between 2001 and 2006.

In an Amazon Prime documentary about his life, called ‘Sven’, he spoke candidly about his affairs, but insisted that ‘sex is one of the good things in life for all of us’, he was not married and he did not break hearts.

Prince William, patron of the Football Association, was among those paying tribute to Sven today. He described him as: as a ‘true gentleman of the game’ who displayed impressive ‘charisma and passion’.

Former England national football team manager Sven-Goran ‘Svennis’ Eriksson is being honoured for his efforts with local club Degerfors in June. His death was announced today

Nancy Dell’Olio (left) and Ulrika Jonsson

Faria Alam, who was Sven’s secretary when they had an affair, says she was in love with him

In the documentary, Sven admitted that his reputation had been damaged by his affairs, but he did not think he had done anything terrible.

Talking about the moment his affair with Ulrika came to light, he said: ‘Sex is one of the good things in life for all of us. She was not married. I was not married.

“I was probably stupid, but I don’t think I did anything criminal. I didn’t really bother anyone.”

Nancy wanted to leave him, but changed her mind.

Sven said, ‘She loved it. The excitement. She was an upper-class lady in Rome. She liked to go out with important people.

‘At first I didn’t react that much. But you don’t change people at a certain age. It wasn’t always peace in my house.’

Nancy, who also appeared in the documentary, said she loved Sven.

She said: ‘The first impression I had of Sven, people with power always have extra, extra sex appeal. I fell in love.

‘It wasn’t something I was looking for. I was married and I left my husband to start my journey with Sven.

‘We were Sven and Nancy from the first date.

‘I was the first lady of English football and there would never be anyone after me.’

Sven-Goran Eriksson with his girlfriend Yaniseth Bravo in Sweden

Between 2001 and 2006 he led the so-called ‘golden generation’ of stars, including David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard

Rumors about Eriksson’s relationship with TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson surfaced in 2002 and were later confirmed

Faria Alam had an affair with Sven and FA boss Mark Palios. She was forced to resign but gave a series of kiss and tell interviews.

In an interview with the documentary, she said: ‘The Noughties were just naughty.

‘You could do so much. I’ll be honest, I was a pretty girl and I attracted a lot of attention.

‘He said, “Tell your story, go and tell them everything. Make some money, why not?”

Reports at the time suggested she may have earned £300,000 from newspaper deals.

She described their relationship this way: ‘He didn’t have the mindset of a super-rich man. He talked to me about poetry, he talked to me about art.

He said he did yoga and things like that.

“And I just fell in love with him, I guess. And that lit the fuse for all of this to explode.”

However, she was angry at being portrayed as a ‘gold-digger’ when the story broke, adding: ‘I’m the bad person, and I was the scapegoat so they were absolved of all responsibility.’

Eriksson returned to his long-term partner, Italian lawyer Nancy Dell’Olio, who says she enjoyed being the ‘first lady of English football’

Eriksson’s affair with FA secretary Faria Alam was all over the papers in 2004. Months later he lost his job

Sven became the first foreign manager of the England national team in 2001 and was in charge of 67 matches until 2006. He led the talented squad to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and to the 2004 European Championships.

He also managed Swedish, Portuguese and Italian clubs, winning major honours in the 1980s and 1990s before taking the England job.

The Prince of Wales led the tributes today, tweeting: “Sad to hear of the passing of Sven-Göran Eriksson. I met him several times as England manager and was always impressed by his charisma and passion for the game.

“My thoughts are with his family and friends. A true gentleman of the game. W.”