Mihajlovic was struck by cancer more than three years ago. He recovered after a bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy but suffered a relapse in March this year. Earlier this week, he was admitted to hospital with an infection. In September, the Serb was fired as coach at Bologna, where he had been at the helm since January 2019.
In a statement to the Italian news agency Ansa, his wife Arianna and their five children regret “the unjust and untimely death”.
As a player, Mihajlovic was a free kick specialist. The former tough defender left Red Star Belgrade in 1992 – with which he won the European Cup I – for Italy, where he would build an impressive career. He played successively for AS Roma, Sampdoria, Lazio and Inter Milan. With both Lazio and Inter, he won the Serie A once and the Coppa Italia twice. In 1999, Mihajlovic won the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup with Lazio. He amassed 63 caps and scored ten times for Yugoslavia. Mihajlovic coached Fiorentina, AC Milan and Serbia after his playing career in addition to Bologna.
