Sinisa Mihajlovic dies aged 53: life and career of Serbian football icon and free kick specialist

Serbian football icon Sinisa Mihajlovic has died aged 53 after a lengthy battle with cancer. The former AC Milan and Fiorentina manager was diagnosed with an acute leukaemia in 2019, but remained in charge of Bologna until September this year.

Mihajlovic was one of the most talented defenders in Serie A during the 1990s and went on to have a distinguished career in management. Following the news of his death a number of football clubs have paid their respects.

Bologna FC’s official Twitter page posted: “Goodbye, Mister, you will forever be in our hearts.”

An official Serie A statement read: “We would like to extend our condolences to Sinisa’s family, friends and all of the footballing world for the departure of a Calcio icon. His impact in our game, country and hearts will forever be remembered as well as his relentless spirit and kind soul.”

The death of Mihajlovic is an event which has touched the footballing world in Italy. But who was the former defender and what were the best moments of his career?

Who was Sinisa Mihaljovic?

Sinisa Mihajlovic was a Serbian professional footballer who spent the majority of his career playing as a defender in Serie A. After his retirement he went on to enjoy a successful career in management.

He began his career at Vojvodina in Serbia and was signed after playing youth football for Croatian football club Borovo.

Mihajlovic was tipped for stardom from a young age and was a member of a talented Yugoslavia team which won the FIFA under 20 World Cup in 1987. Many members of that team went on to have successful careers, such as Robert Prosinecki and Davor Suker.

Mihajlovic began playing regular first team football in 1988/89 and won the now disbanded Yugoslav First League title in his debut season.

As a teenager Mihajlovic was viewed as an exciting prospect and he scored an impressive 11 goals during the 1989/90 season despite playing in the centre back position. This form soon attracted the attention of Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade, who signed him midway through the 1990/91 campaign.

Red Star Belgrade were viewed as the top team in Serbia at the time and were also seen as a force to be reckoned with in European football. In Mihajlovic’s first season with the club he helped them to lift their first ever European Cup. Mihajlovic started against Marseille in centre midfield and scored during their penalty shoot-out victory.

Red Star Belgrade dominated the Yugoslav First League and won the title again in 1991/92. The continent looked to have a golden generation of talent heading into Euro 92 but were forced to withdraw from the tournament due to the conflict that was taking place.

A host of teams were vying for the signature of Mihajlovic after his impressive form in the European Cup but it was Roma who won the race to sign the talented defender. Mihajlovic was a first team regular during his two years at the club and later had a four-year spell at Serie A rivals Sampdoria.

In the summer of 1998, Mihajlovic completed a move to sign for Sven Goran Eriksson’s Lazio and it was during his time there that he established himself as a Serie A great.

At Lazio, Mihajlovic won one Serie A title, two Coppa Italia cups, the Supercoppa Italiana and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup. He was vital to Eriksson’s success during this period and was a key threat from set pieces during his time in Serie A.

Mihajlovic ended his career at Inter Milan and lifted the league title in his final season before retiring in 2006. He still holds the record for most free kick goals in Serie A, on 28 - a record that’s unlikely to be broken any time soon.

After his retirement Mihajlovic had two seasons working as an assistant manager to Roberto Mancini at Inter.

The Serbian then made a move to club management in 2008 by taking over Bologna. Since then he has had a series of roles in Italy’s top flight including Sampdoria, AC Milan, Fiorentina, Catania and Torino.

He managed over 431 games in his career after retiring and the majority of those came in Serie A.