This week, the world of sport was left stunned after Sven Goran-Eriksson revealed he'd been diagnosed with cancer.
The 75-year-old says he has just a year to live but, in typical Sven fashion, he's remaining positive and upbeat. Certainly, he's not going to let the disease kill him without putting up a fight.
Among those to wish Eriksson well were former players Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and John Terry.
All three were once captains of the England national team and were part of the 'Golden Generation' that failed to fulfil its vast potential during the 2000s.
Sven Goran-Eriksson was manager of England while they had the 'Golden Generation'
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Eriksson took charge of England in 2001 and, just months into the role, did the unimaginable.
Germany, the fiercest enemy of them all, were thumped 5-1 in their own back yard with Michael Owen bagging a hat-trick and Emile Heskey and Steven Gerrard also on target.
It was a pulsating result, one that dared fans on these shores to dream of a first World Cup triumph since 1966. Had social media been around back then, the hype and anticipation would have increased considerably.
England qualified for the World Cup the following year in dramatic circumstances.
Having made hard work of a relatively straightforward group, David Beckham's majestic free-kick against Greece booked their place in the main event.
England went into the 2002 World Cup believing they had a genuine shot at glory.
They had experienced heads such as David Seaman and Martin Keown, players in their prime like Beckham and Paul Scholes as well as young talents such as rising stars such as Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole.
England laid down a marker when they beat Argentina 1-0, with Beckham banishing the demons of four years previously when he'd been sent off against the same opponents.
And a straightforward 3-0 win over Denmark had many tipping them to go all the way.
However, England crashed out in the quarter-finals of the tournament to Brazil with Ronaldinho infamously lobbing David Seaman to send the Samba side through.
Eriksson was, however, upbeat about the future. Two years later and England graced the big stage again, this time in the European Championships.
They were handed a tricky group consisting of France, Switzerland and Croatia.
Yet while they lost to France in their opening fixture following a quick-fire brace from Zinedine Zidane, they managed to beat the other two sides with a young Rooney stepping up.
Eriksson felt Rooney would be the man to end England's agonising wait for glory. So too did the world, who were quickly captivated by his tenacious talent as he bagged four goals in the first three matches.
Fate would strike against Portugal in the quarter-finals, however, with injury preventing the youngster from playing any further part in the tournament.
Individual mistakes cost the Golden Generation and their manager the trophy they craved, too.
One was made by an official who wrongly chalked off a Sol Campbell header in the closing stages of the Portugal match, which they'd later lose on penalties.
Beckham fluffed his lines from 12 yards in the shootout (though he wasn't alone, with Darius Vassell also missing), and England were left feeling victimised. Still, to this day, the decision to chalk off Campbell's header is a scandal.
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England lost to Brazil at the 2002 World Cup with Ronaldinho capitlalising on poor positioning from David Seaman
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Two years later, in 2006, and England were once again dreaming of reaching the promised land.
Yet they never convinced at that tournament, with a clearly-injured Rooney a shadow of the player he was two years ago.
England laboured through a group consisting of Sweden, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago.
They were poor during a 1-0 win over Ecuador, too.
And when they faced Portugal in the quarter-finals, with Rooney seeing red, it ended in disaster once again.
Eriksson later admitted, in November 2022, that 2006 was the year they should have conquered the world.
England were denied Euro 2004 victory with Wayne Rooney's injury costing them dear
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"We weren't ready to win in 2002, but we were in 2006 and should have gone all the way
“It was always nice to inherit young, talented players, but the balance of a team is extremely important.
"In 2002, we were not ready to win the World Cup. Brazil went on to deservedly win the World Cup.
"In 2006, I thought at the time and still today, we had a squad which was not worse than any other team at that World Cup. So yes, I’m sure the experience players gained in 2002 made the team better in 2006.
“I knew that this was a golden opportunity to win the World Cup but we didn't and we should have done it.."
Eriksson deserves credit, however. Though England didn't go all the way, the smiling Swede lost just one fixture at a major tournament in normal time.
If it hadn't been for Seaman, bad luck and Rooney's red and injury woes, he'd have been the man to bring success back to Wembley.
