Sven-Göran Eriksson is hailed as a “master of football” and a “gentleman” by European newspapers as they pay tribute to the former England manager following his tragic death.

European media have paid tribute to Sven-Göran Eriksson after the Swedish football legend tragically passed away at the age of 76.

Former England manager Eriksson announced in January that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer and was nearing the end of his life, with a best-case scenario of only a year to live.

And seven months later, a statement released on behalf of the Swede's family confirmed the devastating news on Monday morning.

Eriksson had a very successful career as a manager and coached Benfica, Lazio, Man City, Leicester City and Roma, among others. From 2001 to 2006 he was also coach of the English national team. He was also the first foreign coach ever to manage the “Three Lions”.

He was a popular figure and following the news of his tragic death, several European newspapers paid tribute to the Swede.

European newspapers paid tribute to Sven-Göran Eriksson after he died at the age of 76

Eriksson was extremely popular in Italy, especially for his performances at Lazio, where he won the second and final Scudetto, and he also coached Roma, Fiorentina and Sampdoria.

The Italian newspapers paid tribute to him, La Gazzetta dello Sport called him the “master of football”

The Swede led Roma, Lazio, Fiorentina and Sampdoria in Italy, winning both the Coppa Italia with Roma and Sampdoria before leading Lazio to their second and most recent Scudetto.

During his time at Lazio, Eriksson won a total of seven trophies and is considered one of the best coaches the club has ever had.

The Italian media La Gazzetta dello Sport paid tribute to the Swede with a picture of Eriksson on its front page and the headline “Il Signore Del Calcio”, which translates as “the master of football”.

Meanwhile, the Italian daily newspaper Tuttosport paid tribute to Eriksson's personality with the words: “Sei stato un signore”, which means “You were a gentleman”.

The esteem in which Eriksson is held in Italy was also reflected in the Corriere dello Sport dedicating its front page to the former England manager with the headline “Un Amore Di Sven”, which translates as “A Love for Sven”.

The Portuguese press, which Eriksson dealt with during his two terms as Benfica coach, also paid tribute to the Swede. O Jogo wrote: “Toas as reacoes da familia do futebol a perda”, which means “The whole football family reacts to the loss.”

Elsewhere, A Bola posted a photo of Eriksson in his younger days, with a quote from his emotional farewell message, “Tive uma boa vida,” which translates to “I had a good life.”

Eriksson's family announced the tragic news in a statement on Monday, saying: “After a long illness, Sven-Göran Eriksson died this morning at home surrounded by his family.”

“The closest mourners are daughter Lina, son Johan with wife Amana and granddaughter Sky, father Sven, girlfriend Yanisette with son Alcides and brother Lars-Erik with wife Jumnong.”

“The family asks that their wishes to mourn privately and not be contacted be respected. Condolences and greetings can be left on the website www.svengoraneriksson.com.”

Eriksson was also celebrated by the Portuguese press after the news of his tragic death

Eriksson led England from 2001 to 2006, but was unable to lead the Three Lions to triumph

Eriksson is best known for his time as coach of the English national team, but although he coached the so-called “Golden Generation”, he failed to lead the “Three Lions” to triumph.

At the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and at the 2004 European Championships, England were eliminated in the quarter-finals as Eriksson found it difficult to build a successful team due to countless disagreements between the clubs within the team.

Nevertheless, Eriksson won 40 of his 67 games as coach and subsequently enjoyed his international career in Mexico, Ivory Coast and the Philippines.

Despite his lack of success with the Three Lions, he remained hugely popular in the UK – where he later coached Manchester City and Leicester – and experienced a huge outpouring of love and support following his terminal cancer diagnosis.