Sinisa Mihajlovic, the former manager of AC Milan, passed away at the age of 53 after a battle with leukaemia.
The former defender for Lazio and Inter Milan disclosed his leukaemia diagnosis in 2019. After receiving treatment, he made a full recovery, but in March, Mihajlovic revealed that he had been given a second illness diagnosis.
During his playing career, Mihajlovic won several awards, such as the European Cup with Red Star Belgrade and two Serie A championships while playing for Lazio and Inter. Additionally, he made 63 appearances for the former Yugoslavia, playing for his nation at both the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 Euro.
He later worked as Roberto Mancini’s assistant at Inter before starting his managerial career in 2008 with Bologna. He also served as manager of Catania, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, AC Milan, and the Serbian national team from 2012 to 2013. He also had a disastrous nine-day stint with Sporting Lisbon in Portugal in 2018.
As Filippo Inzaghi’s replacement, Mihajlovic returned to Bologna in January 2019 and kept them out of the bottom division before disclosing his diagnosis of high-risk myeloid leukaemia six months later.
Despite undergoing three rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, Mihajlovic confirmed earlier this year that test results had revealed there was a possibility of the disease relapsing. He had announced a fresh treatment regimen in March, but he tragically succumbed to the illness on Friday in a hospital in Rome.
“Serie A is deeply saddened by the passing of Sinisa Mihajlovic, an icon of football and life,” Lega Serie A said in a statement.
“Everybody at UEFA is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Siniša Mihajlović, aged 53. A European Cup winner with Red Star in 1991, Mihajlović was a fearless competitor and set-piece specialist with a fantastic eye for goal. Rest in peace, Siniša.” Uefa said in a statement
Before AC Milan‘s friendly match with Liverpool in the Dubai Super Cup on Friday, there was a moment of silence for Mihajlovic.
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