Sven-Goran Eriksson questions his decision to leave Lazio for top England job

Sven-Goran Eriksson admitted he harbours some regret at accepting the England manager’s position and believes his reign ended because of a newspaper sting rather than results.

The Swede, who on Thursday revealed he is suffering from terminal cancer, became England’s first foreign-born boss in January 2001 and oversaw their fortunes until the end of the 2006 World Cup.

Months before his appointment, Eriksson led Lazio to their second – and still most recent – Serie A triumph in 1999-2000, having had other successful tenures at clubs in his native Sweden and Portugal.

But Eriksson lacked the Midas touch with England, unable to win a trophy despite the country’s so-called ‘golden generation’, and the 75-year-old wishes on occasion he had remained in Italy.

In a wide-ranging interview with Swedish Radio P1, where he disclosed his pancreatic cancer diagnosis, Eriksson said: “It was a fantastic life (in Italy). I thoroughly enjoyed it.

“But one day, I got a telephone call from England and I took the decision. It has crossed my mind whether it was the right choice. Maybe I should have stayed in Lazio where I was celebrated as a king?

“The only job I could imagine taking is as the manager of England. Because that’s the biggest there is.

“At some points, it’s hit me that there are a lot fewer games. It is a lot harder to win something when you go to a national side. You can win something every fourth year. That’s a big difference.”

The likes of David Beckham, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney thrived at club level in the early-to-mid-2000s but struggled to repeat that form on the international stage.

England exited both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups as well as Euro 2004 at the quarter-final stage, the