Footballer Sinisa Mihajlovic is dead.
This is confirmed by his family to the Italian newspaper Gazetta dello Sport.
The Serbian former football player and coach turned 53 years old.
Mihajlovic had a long and successful career as a player mainly in the Italian Serie A. Since 2019 he was the coach of the Serie A club Bologna. He has also coached clubs such as Milan, Samdoria and Torino. As a player, he made the most appearances for Sampdoria and Lazio.
He was part of the Lazio, led by Sven-Göran Eriksson, that won the Scudetto in 2000.
– It is of course tragic for everyone and above all for his family. It’s boring. He’s been unwell for a long time now and it’s very, very sad. It was far too early, says “Svennis” to Fotbollskanalen .
In July 2019, Mihajlovic told that he had been affected by leukemia. Mihajlovic died in a hospital in Rome on Friday.
“Bravely he fought against the terrible disease. Sinisa will always remain with us. We live with all the love he has given us,” the family writes in a press release to Gazetta dello Sport.
Mihajlovic was good friends with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. In the spring of 2021, the two performed at the San Remo Festival where they sang a duet. Ibrahimovic has yet to comment on Mihajlovic’s passing.