Sinisa Mihajlovic: Serie A icon dies at age 53 after long battle with leukaemia
Sinisa Mihajlovic, the former Serbia national team manager and an iconic figure of 1990s Serie A football, has died at the age of 53.
He was most recently head coach at Bologna, where in his second spell with the club he spent over three and a half years in charge, despite being diagnosed with leukaemia in 2019.
Mihajlovic remained in the job throughout his battle with cancer and had a bone marrow transplant that same year, which allowed a partial recovery. But he revealed earlier this year that he was at “risk of a reappearance of the disease” and would try to stay ahead of it with treatment.
However, he sadly lost his battle with leukaemia on Friday, with former club Red Star Belgrade confirming his passing.
“It is with great regret that we inform the stars that the legendary Siniša MihajloviÄ has left us today,” the club’s Twitter account wrote. “A great star and a man with an incredible heart and strength died at the age of 53. Our club expresses its deepest condolences to the Mihajlovic family.”
The left-footed defender was renowned in his playing days for unerring free-kicks and combustible style, while during his managerial stints he was famed for frequent run-ins with both players and administrative staff.
His most memorable spells came with Lazio and Sampdoria, but he also played for Roma and Inter Milan in Italy, as well as Red Star and Vojvodina in his home country. At international level, Mihajlovic played 63 times for first Yugoslavia and later Serbia and Montenegro, scoring 10 goals.
