Sinisa Mihajlovic passes away following battle with leukaemia

Italian footballing icon Sinisa Mihajlovic has died aged 53 following a hard-fought battle with leukaemia.

Tributes immediately began flooding in for the former player and manager, who had a reputation for scoring tremendous free-kicks, after the tragic news was confirmed on Friday.

Mihajlovic announced in July 2019 that he had been diagnosed with an acute form of leukaemia, but kept his spot as manager of Bologna while undergoing treatment, up until his departure from the role in September 2022.

He fought the disease while continuing to lead the Serie A side, undergoing a bone marrow transplant and three cycles of chemotherapy in the process.

Mihajlovic had only returned to Bologna for his second stint as manager that January, having managed the club a decade earlier from 2008 to 2009.

In the time between, he spent time in the dugout for Sampdoria, Milan, Torino and in Portugal with Sporting CP. He also spent a year managing the Serbian national team from 2012 to 2013.

His impressive managerial career followed on from an equally as special playing career. Mihajlovic, a defender by trade, was capped 63 times for Yugoslavia between 1991 and 2003, while most notably carving out a formidable career in the Italian top-flight.

After rising to prominence with Red Star Belgrade, he moved to Roma in 1992. From there, Mihajlovic would spend four years with Sampdoria before signing for Lazio in 1998. It was on the blue side of Rome where he became a Scudetto winner for the first time, as well as winning the Coppa Italia, a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, a UEFA Super Cup and the Supercoppa Italiana.

He won his second and final Serie A crown in the autumn of his career with Inter in 2005/06, retiring at the end of that season with a reputation as one of football’s greatest free-kick takers. The Serbian still holds the records for the most free-kicks scored in Serie A, having bagged an astounding 28 throughout his career.