The footballing world lost a great man yesterday as former player and manager Sinisa Mihajlovic passed away yesterday at the age of 53.
The Serbian had been battling acute leukaemia for just over three years, which began whilst he was manager of Serie A side Bologna.
Mihajlovic played for the likes of Red Star Belgrade, Sampdoria and Lazio, also making 63 appearances for the Yugoslavian national team between 1991 and 2003, before retiring in 2006 after a two-year spell with Inter Milan.
La Lega Serie A è profondamente addolorata per la scomparsa di Siniša Mihajlović, icona di calcio e di vita. La sua classe purissima come calciatore e allenatore, la sua forza e la sua umanità sono un esempio che lascia un solco indelebile nel calcio italiano e mondiale. pic.twitter.com/buHFuCLBQu
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA) December 16, 2022
In the aftermath of his death, many figures across the sport have paid tribute to Mihajlovic, including Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri.
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The Italian said: “It’s hard to find the right words to talk about Sinisa, a man with such depth leaves a lot of memories. I’m devastated for his family.”
In honour of Mihajlovic, a minute’s silence was held before AC Milan’s friendly against Liverpool yesterday.