Siniša Mihajlović

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R.I.P
Siniša

Siniša Mihajlović (Serbian Cyrillic: Синиша Михајловић, pronounced [sǐniʃa mixǎːjloʋitɕ]; 20 February 1969 – 16 December 2022) was a Serbian football manager and player. Though starting out as a defensive midfielder, he spent the majority of his illustrious playing career in defence. Mihajlović won the European Cup with Red Star Belgrade in 1991 before moving to Italy, making 353 appearances for Serie A sides Roma, Sampdoria, Lazio and Inter Milan and winning league titles with the latter two clubs. Considered by many to be among the best free kick takers of all time, he holds the all-time record in Serie A for most goals from free kicks with 28 goals. He won 63 caps and scored 10 goals for Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2003, of which his first four caps in 1991 represented SFR Yugoslavia, and played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000 tournaments. Mihajlović retired from playing in 2006, becoming assistant manager at Inter. He managed six Serie A clubs from 2008 to 2022, starting and finishing with Bologna and also including Fiorentina, Torino and AC Milan. He was the coach of the Serbia national team from May 2012 to November 2013. He was diagnosed with…Citește mai mult

Siniša Mihajlović a adăugat o fotografie

acum 7 zile

R.I.P
Siniša

Early life Born in Vukovar into a working-class family of a Bosnian Serb father and a Croat mother, Mihajlović was raised in Borovo Naselje with a younger brother, Dražen (b. 1973). Their father Bogdan (d. 2011) was a truck driver at the Građevinar construction company in Vukovar, while their mother Viktorija worked in the Borovo shoe factory. Mihajlović identified as a Serb, but said that he viewed Croatia as his country as well. During the Croatian War of Independence, his home was destroyed by Croatian forces, among whom was his childhood best friend, an ethnic Croat, forcing his parents to flee. His maternal uncle called his mother and said that she should stay in Borovo, and that Siniša's father was to be killed. His uncle was arrested when the Serbian Volunteer Guard took over Borovo, but was freed because he was related to Mihajlović. In a 2016 interview Mihajlović said he had forgiven his childhood friend in a meeting in Zagreb prior to the crucial Euro 2000 qualification match between FR Yugoslavia and Croatia.

Siniša Mihajlović a adăugat o fotografie

acum 7 zile

R.I.P
Siniša

Early career Mihajlović started playing organized football with his hometown team NK Borovo. He quickly marked himself out as a talented youngster, making the SR Croatia select squad for the Yugoslav inter-republic youth football tournaments. In 1986, he was attached to NK Borovo's first team. Playing in the SR Croatia provincial league (third tier competition on the Yugoslav club football pyramid), his first team debut took place on 25 May 1986 against Šparta in Beli Manastir. The match ended 1–1 with Mihajlović scoring a goal. The 17-year-old also got his first taste of professionalism with his first monthly salary being CHF500. In late 1986, Red Star Belgrade representatives led by scout Kule Aćimović came to watch the seventeen-year-old in a friendly Borovo played against FK Rad, but decided not to sign him. Then in late spring 1987, with NK Rijeka and Dinamo Vinkovci both seeking to sign Mihajlović, Dinamo Zagreb—led by club president Ivo Vrhovec and head coach Ćiro Blažević—also expressed an interest; their youth players Zvonimir Boban and Robert Prosinečki had been playing with Mihajlović on the SR Croatia select youth team at inter-republic and provincial youth tournaments and recommended him to the team. After seeing Mihajlović in a…Citește mai mult

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Vojvodina Mihajlović signed for FK Vojvodina in 1988, as part of a group of players acquired by the club, which included defensive midfielder Slaviša Jokanović, and defenders Budimir Vujačić and Miroslav Tanjga. The club won the Yugoslav league title, with Mihajlović scoring four goals in 31 appearances. The following 1989–90 season saw Vojvodina compete in the European Cup for only the second time in their history, but lost in the first round to Hungarian champions Honvéd.

Siniša Mihajlović a lăsat un gând

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Red Star Belgrade Mihajlović joined Red Star Belgrade on 10 December 1990 in a high-profile transfer with a transfer fee of DM1 million paid out to Vojvodina. Arriving at a club coached by his old Vojvodina mentor Ljupko Petrović, Mihajlović was brought in to establish a robust presence on the left side of midfield as well as to score set-piece goals. In the European Cup semi-final return leg versus Bayern Munich, Mihajlović scored both Red Star goals—a free-kick opener and the injury time winner with a shot that deflected off Klaus Augenthaler. In the final, Red Star defeated Olympique de Marseille on penalties, after a 0–0 draw at full time, with Mihajlović being one of the shootout scorers. Mihajlović was also in the team later that year when Red Star Belgrade won the Intercontinental Cup, defeating Colo-Colo 3–0. He was then included by Yugoslavia national football team to UEFA Euro 1992, but the nation was disqualified from the competition by United Nations sanctions due to the Yugoslav Wars.

Siniša Mihajlović a lăsat un gând

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Roma In the summer of 1992, amid interest from Juventus, Mihajlović signed for Roma for a reported ITL8.5 billion (~US$5.9 million) transfer fee, at the request of head coach Vujadin Boškov, also a new arrival to Olimpico. The club were looking to improve on their previous season's 5th place league finish. Mihajlović secured a regular first team spot in the left midfield, and the team finished 10th in the league. Mihajlović also played a significant part in Roma's UEFA Cup campaign where they reached the quarterfinals—losing to Borussia Dortmund in a tie that saw the Serb score a trademark free-kick for a 1–0 first leg lead, before being beaten 2–0 in the return. Due to a long-term injury to Roma's left back Amedeo Carboni midway through the season, coach Boškov moved Mihajlović to the left back position. The 1993–94 season started with new head coach Carlo Mazzone in charge after Boškov was sacked. In addition to the four foreigners already at the club, the club brought in Argentine Abel Balbo thus increasing competition for three foreign spots. Mihajlović continued as a left back under the new manager. In the 1993–94 season, the club finished 7th, and out of Europe for…Citește mai mult

Siniša Mihajlović a lăsat un gând

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Sampdoria In 1994, Mihajlović joined Sampdoria, who were the third-placed club in previous season's Serie A standings and the Coppa Italia winners, coached by Sven-Göran Eriksson. Also arriving the same summer were Inter stalwarts Walter Zenga and Riccardo Ferri as part of the deal that took goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca the other way. In his four seasons at Sampdoria, Mihajlović saw limited success in the Serie A. In the European competitions, however, he helped Sampdoria reach the 1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup semifinal, where they were defeated by Arsenal on penalties. In June 1998, Mihajlović represented FR Yugoslavia at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, playing all Yugoslav matches in the tournament. He scored a goal against Iran, and conceded an own goal against Germany. This made Mihajlović one of five players to score both a goal and an own goal in the World Cup; the other ones being Ernie Brandts, Ruud Krol, Gustavo Peña and Mario Mandžukić.

Siniša Mihajlović a lăsat un gând

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Lazio In the summer of 1998, Mihajlović was brought to Lazio by head coach Sven-Göran Eriksson and club president Sergio Cragnotti for £8.5 million. He won his first trophy in Italy as Lazio beat Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana during late August 1998. The club finished 7th in Serie A. Strengthening the squad for a serious run at the Serie A title, in addition to Mihajlović, the summer 1998 transfer window also saw Cragnotti bring in Dejan Stanković from Red Star Belgrade, established goalscorer Marcelo Salas from River Plate, and finally striker Christian Vieri from Atlético Madrid. With Lazio, Mihajlović reached the final of the 1999 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, winning the last edition of that competition with a 2–1 victory against RCD Mallorca. Lazio also won the 1999 UEFA Super Cup. Mihajlović played 26 times and scored seven goals during the 1999–2000 Serie A season as Lazio won their second Scudetto. Mihajlović completed the double by helping Lazio win the 2000 Coppa Italia. Mihajlović represented Yugoslavia internationally again, at the Euro 2000 tournament. In the first Yugoslav game of the tournament, he was sent off against Slovenia. He served a one-game suspension before playing the last two games of…Citește mai mult

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Inter Milan In 2004, Mihajlović was released from Lazio and joined his friend and former teammate Roberto Mancini at Inter Milan on a free transfer, signing a one-year deal. On 16 June 2005 Mihajlović signed a one-year extension. On 9 April 2006, in a league away game versus Ascoli, he scored his 27th career free-kick goal in the Serie A championship. He retired after the 2005–06 season. During his time with Inter, he made 43 appearances and scored 6 goals, all from direct free kicks.

Siniša Mihajlović a lăsat un gând

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International career Playing as a youth international, Mihajlović featured in 5 games at the 1990 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Between 1991 and 2003, Mihajlović was capped 63 times and scored 10 goals for the Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro. He participated at the 1998 FIFA World Cup where he scored a free-kick against Iran as Yugoslavia reached the second round. He also participated at UEFA Euro 2000. He was sent off in Yugoslavia's opening game against Slovenia but returned after a one match ban with Yugoslavia reaching the quarterfinal. His final international was a June 2003 European Championship qualification match away against Finland.

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Style of play Early into his playing career, Mihajlović marked himself out with an extraordinary long-distance striking, crossing, and passing ability. His precise curling yet hard-driven left-footed shot allowed him to score free-kick goals on a regular basis. A set-piece and penalty kick specialist, Mihajlović has said that he has scored free-kicks from as far as 35 yards, adding in a 2000 interview with BBC Sport: "I like to shoot with a swerve into both sides of the net. I often try scoring directly from the corners.". Regarded as one of the greatest free kick takers of all time, he was capable of both scoring and creating chances from dead ball opportunities, and holds the record for the most goals in Serie A from free-kicks, as well as the record for second most goals from free kicks in all competitions, with 43, behind Alessandro Del Piero. Along with Giuseppe Signori, he is one of only two players who have scored a hat-trick from free kicks in Serie A, a feat which he accomplished during his time with Lazio, in a 5–2 win over Sampdoria, on 13 December 1998, during the 1998–99 season. During his club career in Yugoslavia with Vojvodina…Citește mai mult

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Assistant at Inter Milan After retiring from playing at Inter Milan, Mihajlović began a coaching career at San Siro as assistant to head coach Roberto Mancini. Mihajlović and Mancini had played together for five seasons at Sampdoria and Lazio. Mihajlović's free-kick expertise has been praised by Zlatan Ibrahimović, who after several successful free-kicks thanked the then assistant coach Mihajlović who had trained him for two years at Inter. Mancini was fired in June 2008 by club president Massimo Moratti at the end of the 2007–08 season to make way for José Mourinho. Mihajlović left the club at the same time.

Siniša Mihajlović a lăsat un gând

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Bologna On 3 November 2008, Mihajlović was appointed to replace Daniele Arrigoni at Serie A relegation-battling club Bologna. His Serie A bench debut came on 8 November 2008 at home versus Roma. The match ended in a 1–1 draw. His tenure began with five consecutive league draws before a 5–2 victory against relegation rivals Torino on 13 December 2008. Mihajlović was sacked by Bologna on 14 April 2009 in the wake of a 1–4 home defeat against Siena, which dragged the team back into the relegation zone with seven matches remaining in the season. His tenure suffered from media rumours that he had numerous high-profile disagreements with senior players at the club which led to the poor form that eventually cost him the job. Under new head coach Giuseppe Papadopulo, Bologna avoided relegation to the Serie B on the last day of the season with a win over Catania.

Siniša Mihajlović a lăsat un gând

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Catania On 8 December 2009, Mihajlović was appointed new head coach of Catania, taking over from Gianluca Atzori. He signed a contract until June 2011 with gli elefanti, hiring Dario Marcolin—his former teammate at Lazio and colleague on Mancini's coaching staff at Inter—to be his assistant. Arriving at the club last in Serie A, Mihajlović made his debut with a home loss against relegation rivals Livorno. However, the following week, his team beat heavily favoured Juventus away in Turin with a 1–2 scoreline. A string of good results, together with a number of key January signings such as former Argentine international striker Maxi López, helped Mihajlović keep the team out of the relegation zone. On 13 March 2010, Catania won 3–1 against league leaders and Mihajlović's former team Inter Milan. Led by Mihajlović, Catania finished the season in 13th spot, well out of the relegation zone. He resigned at the end of the season on 24 May 2010 amid reports linking him to incumbent UEFA Champions League winners Inter as a replacement for outgoing boss José Mourinho, which did not come to anything in the end.

Siniša Mihajlović a lăsat un gând

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Fiorentina On 3 June 2010, Mihajlović was announced as the new head coach of Fiorentina, replacing outgoing Cesare Prandelli who had left the Tuscan club to become the manager of the Italy national team. Fiorentina had finished the 2009–10 Serie A campaign in eleventh place, but had made the Champions League round-of-16 stage where they were eliminated by Bayern Munich on away goals. Mihajlović signed a two-year contract on a salary of just under €1 million per year. Mihajlović stated that making Europe was a realistic goal for the season.

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2010–11 season The team suffered poor form in the first part of the season, with injuries to some key players. They finished the first half of the season in twelfth spot. Mihajlović signed winger Valon Behrami from West Ham United, but the alternating home and away form improved only slightly as the head coach experimented with various tactical formations. In February 2011, Fiorentina won on the road for the first time in the season with a win at Palermo. In March 2011, the team recorded two straight wins for the first time in the season, climbing up to eighth spot. The club finished the league season with 12 wins (only three of those away from home), 11 losses, and 15 draws, which secured ninth place – twelve points out of a European spot.