Rome on December 17 (U.S.): Italy coach Roberto Mancini and former Lazio players Attilio Lombardo and Dejan Stankovic were among those carrying the coffin of Sinisa Mihajlovic among a crowd of fans following the Serb’s funeral on Monday.
There was also a delegation from Red Star Belgrade, the team that helped Mihajlović win the European Cup in 1991, as well as the Bologna team he coached for 3 1/2 years in his last job.
Mihajlovic, the former top player who became a famous coach in Italy, passed away on Friday after a long battle with leukemia. He was 53 years old, according to the Associated Press.
Lombardo and Stanković were teammates with Mihajlović on the Lazio team that won the Serie A title in 2000. The current Lazio squad was also on hand, as was the team’s mascot, a live eagle named Olympia.
Archbishop of Bologna Matteo Maria Zubi conducted the funeral in Rome Cathedral.
Mihajlovic was an emotional favorite of fans and players alike for wanting to stay in action at Bologna even after he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2019.
Players sometimes gathered under the window of Mihailović’s hospital when the coach was receiving treatment. Bologna shot the Serbs in September.
A full-back and free-kick specialist who played with ferocious power, Mihajlovic still holds the Serie A record for most goals from free kicks with 28 – more than Andrea Pirlo’s two.
insignificant