Mihajlovic passed away

"Football lost too soon a European and world champion, one of the best free kickers in the history of football, a man who left a deep mark on the history of Serbian and Italian football. with his career", the announcement of the Serbian Football Federation (FSS) reads.

Mihajlovic was found to have acute leukemia in July 2019, but continued his work leading Bologna to undergo bone marrow treatment and undergo three rounds of chemotherapy.

At that time, Mihajlovic affirmed that he would not surrender to fate. "I'm going to face it, with chest that's always hard to breathe, the way I did. I can't wait to go to the hospital and start the fight. The disease is terrible, but I can beat it," he said. speak.

Mihajlovic relapsed in March and had to receive another round of treatment, then died at a clinic in Rome on December 16. When they heard the sad news about Mihajlovic, the Bologna Club expressed their gratitude and praised him as the symbol of Italian football, showing his class both as a player and as a coach, as a shining example for many people and leaving a mark on the world. can never fade in the hearts of football lovers.

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport describes Mihajlovic as "a man born twice, living two lives before and after the diagnosis of leukemia but with the same warrior spirit".

Mihajlovic is one of the masterpieces of old Yugoslav football. During his time playing, at the club level, he played for Red Star clubs Belgrade, Roma, Sampdoria, Lazio, Inter and was famous for his direct free kick. Mihajlovic scored 28 goals from free-kicks - a Serie A record, and scored a hat-trick in the 1998 match against Sampdoria at Lazio against Sampdoria. At national level, he scored 10 goals in 63 caps for Yugoslavia. 1991-2003 period.

Mihajlovic hung up his boots in the summer of 2006 with Inter and started his career as an assistant at this club. He used to lead Bologna in the period 2008-2009, and then went through the teams Fiorentina, Serbia, Sampdoria, Milan... before returning to Bologna in January 2019.

Thanks to Mihajlovic's driving skills, the Emilia-Romagna club overcame difficulties, earned 30 points through the last 17 matches of the 2019-2020 season, to successfully stay in the relegation and finish in 10th place. But in September 2022, he was lost. sacked when Bologna won only three points through the first five rounds of Serie A, thereby ending the year and a half with the club.