Siniša Mihajlovic
Encyclopedia
Siniša Mihajlović is a Serbia
n football
manager
and former player. He was in charge of Serie A
club Fiorentina
since June 2010 to November 2011.
Mihajlović has 63 caps and scored 9 goals for the Yugoslav
and Serbia and Montenegro national team. He played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup
and UEFA Euro 2000 tournaments.
He is considered by many to be among the best free kick takers of all time, and holds the all-time Serie A free-kick record with 27 goals scored from free-kicks during his fourteen seasons in the top Italian league.
, SR Croatia, near the border of SR Serbia, Mihajlović was born to parents who identified as Yugoslavs
. His father Bogdan originates from a Serb family and his mother Viktorija has a Croatian
family background. The family lived in Vukovar borough of Borovo Naselje
.
He was part of the golden generation of Yugoslav players who won the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
in Chile
, but was not selected in the team that head coach Mirko Jozić
took to the tournament.
as well as a pair of 24-year-old defenders Budimir Vujačić
and Miroslav Tanjga
.
Playing alongside seasoned Yugoslav league veterans like forward Miloš Šestić
and goalkeeper Čedo Maras, all four new acquisitions made major contribution on the squad led by also newly arrived head coach Ljupko Petrović
as FK Vojvodina somewhat improbably went on to win the Yugoslav league title ahead of the Big Four clubs. Young Mihajlović immediately grabbed a midfield spot, appearing in 31 league matches, scoring 4 goals.
The following 1989-90 season saw Vojvodina compete in the European Cup for only the second time in club history. Though most of the key players from the previous league-winning season remained, Vojvodina stumbled at the very first hurdle versus Hungarian champions Honvéd
. Losing the first leg 1-0 away at Budapest, seemingly a decent away result, was still extremely disappointing considering Honvéd played with 10 men from the 15th minute. At the return home leg played in front of half-empty stadium things went much better as Vojvodina got up 2-0 (including a bizarre opening goal from Šestić's in-swinging corner that Mihajlović deflected into goal using his hand), however a late own goal by defender Dragan Gaćeša dashed Vojvodina hopes of progressing further.
Arriving to a club coached by his old Vojvodina mentor Ljupko Petrović, Mihajlović was brought in to establish a robust midfield presence as well as to score set-piece goals. Joining the squad full of rising European stars such as Dejan Savićević
, Robert Prosinečki
, Vladimir Jugović
, Darko Pančev
in addition to already established Miodrag Belodedici
, Mihajlović fit in very well right from the start. He made 14 league appearances, but his most memorable moment came in the European Cup semi-final return leg versus Bayern Munich: in a man of the match performance Mihajlović scored both Red Star goals - the free-kick opener as well as the dramatic injury time winner on 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 scorers. Over twenty years later in 2011, talking to a French football magazine about the famous win in Bari, Mihajlović said:
Mihajlović was also in the team later that year when Red Star Belgrade
won the Intercontinental Cup
, defeating Colo-Colo
3–0.
where he was brought on initative by compatriot head coach Vujadin Boškov
, also a new arrival to Olimpico
, having led Sampdoria in the European Cup Final
mere months earlier. Led on the pitch by talisman midfielder and hometown hero Giuseppe Giannini
, Roma was looking to build on their previous season's 5th place league finish.
Despite competing against notable and established foreigners Aldair, Thomas Häßler
, and Claudio Caniggia
for three foreign matchday spots, Mihajlović managed to achieve a first team
spot in central midfield as well as to turn in a decent season with a single goal in 29 league appearances. However, the team had a disappointing overall season, finishing 10th in the Serie A final standings. Mihajlović also played a significant part in Roma's UEFA Cup campaign where they reached the quarterfinals - losing to Borussia Dortmund
in a tie where the Serb scored a trademark free-kick for a 1-0 first leg lead, before being beaten 2-0 in the return.
The 1993-94 season started with new head coach Carlo Mazzone
in charge as Boškov got shown the door. In addition to existing four foreigners, the club brought in Argentine ace Abel Balbo thus increasing the competition for three foreign spots. Mihajlović for his part managed to maintain his midfield spot under the new gaffer. Still, even without European competition, the team
again underachieved in Serie A, finishing in 7th spot - out of European spots for the second season running.
coached by Sven-Göran Eriksson
. A few years removed from its late 1980s and early 1990s heyday, the Genoa side was still an ambitious outfit, if not as financially stable, looking to challenge for trophies. 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. For Mihajlović, the arrival to Marassi meant getting reunited with former Red Star teammate Vladimir Jugović
.
Mihajlović's competitive debut for the club took place in late August 1994 in the Supercoppa Italiana
match versus league champions AC Milan. It ended with mixed feelings: the Serb scored a trademark free-kick for the go-ahead goal, but after the contest ended in a draw, Mihajlović had his penalty saved in the shootout.
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
, where they got eliminated by Arsenal
on penalties.
In June 1998, Mihajlović represented 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 only four players to score both a goal and an own goal in the World Cup; the other ones being Ernie Brandts
, Ruud Krol
, and Gustavo Peña
.
by head coach Sven-Göran Eriksson and club president Sergio Cragnotti
for ₤8.5 million. Very quickly after coming back to the capital he finally won his first trophy in Italy, as Lazio beat Juventus
in the Supercoppa Italiana
during late August 1998.
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. Playing 26 games and scoring seven goals during the Serie A 1999–2000 season as Lazio won the second Scudetto in club history. Mihajlović completed the double by helping Lazio win the 2000 Coppa Italia
. Mihajlović represented Yugoslavia internationally again, as he selected to compete at the Euro 2000
tournament. In the first Yugoslav game of the tournament, Mihajlović was sent off against Slovenia
. He served a one-game suspension before playing the last two games of the tournament.
Mihajlović won his last trophy with Lazio in 2004, beating Juventus in the Coppa Italia final.
at Internazionale
on a free transfer, signing a one-year deal.
On 9 April 2006, in a league away game versus Ascoli
, Mihajlović scored his 27th career free-kick
goal in the Serie A
championship. Mihajlović ended his playing career after the 2005–06 season, aged 37, having one Serie A championship, two Coppa Italia trophies and a Supercoppa Italia title as an Inter player.
|1988/89||rowspan="3"|FK Vojvodina||rowspan="3"|First League
||31||4||||||colspan=2|—|||||
|-
|1989/90||28||11||||||2||1||||
|-
|1990/91||14||4||||||colspan=2|—|||||
|-
|1990/91||rowspan="2"|Red Star Belgrade
||rowspan="2"|First League
||14||1||||||5||1||||
|-
|1991/92||24||8||||||10||5||||
|-
|1992/93||rowspan="2"|Roma||rowspan="2"|Serie A
||29||1||7||5||5||1||41||7
|-
|1993/94
||25||0||3||0||colspan=2|—||28||0
|-
|1994/95||rowspan="4"|Sampdoria||rowspan="4"|Serie A
||25||3||2||0||6||1||33||4
|-
|1995/96
||30||4||2||0||colspan=2|—||32||4
|-
|1996/97||28||2||1||0||colspan=2|—||29||2
|-
|1997/98
||27||3||4||1||2||0||33||4
|-
|1998/99
||rowspan="6"|Lazio||rowspan="6"|Serie A
||30||8||4||1||9||0||43||9
|-
|1999/00
||26||6||7||4||12||3||45||13
|-
|2000/01
||18||4||2||1||8||2||28||7
|-
|2001/02
||6||0||2||0||2||0||10||0
|-
|2002/03
||21||1||1||0||6||0||28||1
|-
|2003/04
||25||1||6||0||5||1||36||2
|-
|2004/05
||rowspan="2"|Internazionale||rowspan="2"|Serie A
||20||4||6||1||4||0||30||5
|-
|2005/06
||5||1||5||0||3||0||13||0
111||28||||||||||||
315||38||||||||||||
426||66||||||||||||
|}
, Mihajlović right away began a coaching career at San Siro as assistant to head coach Roberto Mancini
. Mihajlović and Mancini share a longtime friendship after playing together at Sampdoria and Lazio.
Mihajlović's free-kick expertise has been praised by Zlatan Ibrahimović
, who after several successful free-kicks in thanked the then assistant coach Mihajlović who had trained him for 2 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 on the same occasion.
at the helm of 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 arrival to Bologna bench was characterized by five consecutive league draws before finally winning a match, a 5–2 victory against fellow bottom-feeder 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
.
, taking over from Gianluca Atzori
.
He signed a contract until June 2011 with gli elefanti and hired Dario Marcolin
, his former teammate at Lazio and later colleague on Mancini's coaching staff at Inter, to be his assistant. Arriving at the club that was dead last in Serie A standings, Mihajlović made his debut with a home loss versus relegation rivals Livorno
. However, the following week, his team pulled off a stunning upset by beating heavily favoured Juventus away in Turin with a 1–2 scoreline.
A successive 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 and provide a number of very impressive performances. Another season highlight then came on March 13, 2010, as Catania achieved a historic 3–1 win versus Serie A league-toppers and Mihajlović's former team Inter
.
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 May 24, 2010 amid reports linking him to incumbent UEFA Champions League
winners Inter as a replacement for outgoing boss José Mourinho
, which did not bring to anything in the end.
, replacing outgoing Cesare Prandelli
who left the Tuscan club after getting appointed by the Italian Football Federation to become the new Italy national football team
manager.
Fiorentina had an underwhelming domestic league season behind them under Prandelli, finishing the campaign
in eleventh place while simultaneously making the Champions League round of 16 stage where they got eliminated by Bayern Munich on away goals, in large part due to some bad officiating during the first leg when a clearly offside Miroslav Klose
goal was allowed to stand by Norwegian referee Tom Henning Øvrebø
and his linesman. The Serb signed a two-year contract and with no distraction of European football, the talented team seemed poised for a good Serie A season
.
However, right away things did not go according to plan as they got dealt a major blow by a preseason right knee injury to attacking midfielder Stevan Jovetić
that would keep him out for the entire season. The league campaign started poorly with two draws and two losses before a win was finally recorded in week 5 at home versus Parma. However, that win was followed by two straight losses as the team continuosly hovered in and around relegation zone. Things finally started picking up in late October 2010 with a home win versus Bari, but soon afterwards in November, Fiorentina further got weakend by an injury to first-choice goalkeeper Sébastien Frey
that kept him out for the rest of the season. Still, Mihajlović's team continued its slow climb up the standings. Though bad away form continued, they finished the first half of the season in twelveth spot. In January 2011, an old favourite reappeared since the doping-related ban on Adrian Mutu
expired as the forward with whom Mihajlović shares some colourful history from playing days rejoined the squad. Also 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 formations. In February 2011, Fiorentina won on the road for the first time in the season with a win at Palermo. And in March 2011, the team finally recorded two straight wins for the first time in the season, climbing up to eight spot (their best placing the entire season other than the seventh spot after opening week's draw). Still, the momentum wasn't kept up for a possible late push towards a European spot, and, under Mihajlović, Fiorentina ended the league season
with 12 wins (only three of those away from home), 11 losses, and 15 draws, which was good enough for ninth place - twelve points out of a European spot.
During the summer 2011 transfer season, Mihajlović was strongly linked with a return to Inter in head coaching capacity, with certain Italian papers even reporting the specific date of his unveiling at the nerazzuri following supposed succesful negotiations with Inter's sporting director Marco Branca
. However, Mihajlović immediately denied those claims, pledging to stay on in Florence.
He was sacked on November 7, 2011 because of bad results.
|1991||4||0
|-
!Total||4||0
|}
|-
|1994||2||0
|-
|1995||3||2
|-
|1996||7||0
|-
|1997||9||2
|-
|1998||11||2
|-
|1999||5||0
|-
|2000||6||1
|-
|2001||6||2
|-
|2002||8||0
|-
|2003||1||0
|-
!Total||58||9
|}
, Mihajlović got moved to central defense, which is the position he played the rest of his career.
Already known as someone who doesn't back away from physical play, the 23-year-old was one of the main protagonists of the ill-tempered 1991 Yugoslav Cup Final between Red Star and Hajduk Split, going after Hajduk players with several hard tackles and getting into a nasty altercation with Igor Štimac
for which they both got red carded in the 70th minute by referee Adem Fazlagić.
At the 1998 FIFA World Cup
Yugoslavia versus Germany group stage match, Jens Jeremies squared up to Mihajlović following a rough challenge by the Serb and the two exchanged verbal insults. Though at first glance everything ended there, television camera from another angle caught Mihajlović spitting in the German's face.
Later that year in November, during the Lazio versus FK Partizan
second leg UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
second round tie, 30-year-old Mihajlović had a match-long battle with 20-year-old striker Mateja Kežman
. Playing old cross-town rivals in front of large home crowd seemed to provide extra motivation for Mihajlović who marked the up-and-coming youngster very aggresively and seemingly went out of his way to show him up.
By Euro 2000, Mihajlović's temper was well noted in the football world and he showed lack of control again during the opening group stage
match versus Slovenia
. Three minutes after gifting Slovenia 0-3 lead when his cross-field pass got intercepted by Zlatko Zahovič
, frustrated Mihajlović first got a yellow card for hacking down a Slovenian player as they jostled for position going up for a high ball. Mere seconds later, as tempers flared and Sašo Udovič
and Albert Nađ exchanged insults, completely rattled Mihajlović needlessly approached Udovič, giving him a slight petulant push. Udovič theatrically fell to the ground resulting in Mihajlović receiving another yellow from Portugese referee Melo Pereira
thus getting himself thrown out of the match. Ten-man Yugoslavia still managed to come back in the last 30 minutes to tie the score 3-3.
Several months later during fall 2000, Mihajlović raised a storm of controversy due to his alleged racist remarks directed at Arsenal's Patrick Vieira
. The incident occurred during the ill-tempered Lazio versus Arsenal UEFA Champions League match on 17 October 2000 at Stadio Olimpico
. Throughout the match Mihajlović had run-ins with several Arsenal players including Martin Keown
and Robert Pires
, but things really boiled over after the final whistle as Mihajlović and Vieira were seen trading insults and trying to get at one another physically before being restrained by teammates. After the match Vieira went to the media accusing Mihajlović of racist abuse, specifically remarks that were revealed to be "nero di merda" (black piece of shit). Mihajlović subsequently apologized, but contended that his words were in retaliation to Vieira's remarks, calling Mihajlović a "zingaro di merda" (Gypsy piece of shit). Two months later in December 2000, Mihajlović came under police investigation over the event for possibly violating a criminal anti-racism law in Italy. Italian investigators planned on using Mihajlović's own post-game admission that he insulted Vieira to file charges that he violated a 1993 law that criminalizes the "spreading ... of ideas based on racial or ethnic superiority or hate", however nothing ever came of it. Six years later Mihajlović and Vieira became part of the same team when the Senegalese-born Frenchman joined Inter where freshly retired from playing Mihajlović was already named assistant to head coach Roberto Mancini. By all accounts, the former on-pitch adversaries got along very well during their two years together at San Siro.
On 7 November 2003, Mihajlović received an eight match suspension by UEFA
for spitting at and kicking Chelsea
's Adrian Mutu
during a Champions League group stage match. Some six and a half years later, Mihajlović would become the head coach of Fiorentina
where Adrian Mutu
plays.
Even in the twilight of his playing career at Inter, 36-year-old Mihajlović stuck to his physical defensive style, getting into memorable tussles with Juve's 23-year-old rising superstar Zlatan Ibrahimović
during Derby d'Italia
.
FK Vojvodina
Red Star Belgrade
Lazio
Internazionale
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and former player. He was in charge of Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
club Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
since June 2010 to November 2011.
Mihajlović has 63 caps and scored 9 goals for the Yugoslav
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
and Serbia and Montenegro national team. He played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
and UEFA Euro 2000 tournaments.
He is considered by many to be among the best free kick takers of all time, and holds the all-time Serie A free-kick record with 27 goals scored from free-kicks during his fourteen seasons in the top Italian league.
Early life
Born in VukovarVukovar
Vukovar is a city in eastern Croatia, and the biggest river port in Croatia located at the confluence of the Vuka river and the Danube. Vukovar is the center of the Vukovar-Syrmia County...
, SR Croatia, near the border of SR Serbia, Mihajlović was born to parents who identified as Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
. His father Bogdan originates from a Serb family and his mother Viktorija has a Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
family background. The family lived in Vukovar borough of Borovo Naselje
Borovo Naselje
Borovo Naselje is a Vukovar borough located on the right bank of the Danube river in the Croatian region of Slavonia, 4 kilometers northwest of Vukovar town centre; elevation 90 m. The economy is based on rubber and shoe industries...
.
He was part of the golden generation of Yugoslav players who won the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Chile from October 10 to October 25, 1987. The 1987 championship was the 6th contested and won for the first time by Yugoslavia. Remarkably, in the course of the tournament the Yugoslavs defeated each of the three other semi-finalists, and...
in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, but was not selected in the team that head coach Mirko Jozić
Mirko Jozic
Mirko Jozić is a retired Croatian football player and currently an active football manager.As a coach, he won the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship in Chile, with the Yugoslavia U-20 national team composed of names such as Robert Prosinečki, Zvonimir Boban and Davor Šuker.He coached Chilean club...
took to the tournament.
Playing career
Mihajlović started his club career, playing for hometown NK Borovo from 1986 until 1988.FK Vojvodina
Mihajlović arrived to Novi Sad during the summer of 1988 as part of a slate of players acquired by the club during the same transfer window: talented 19-year-old defensive midfielder Slaviša JokanovićSlaviša Jokanovic
Slaviša Jokanović is a retired Serbian professional footballer who played in the 1990s and early 2000s....
as well as a pair of 24-year-old defenders Budimir Vujačić
Budimir Vujacic
Budimir Vujačić is a retired Montenegrin footballer. Mainly a left back, he could also operate as a central defender.-Club career:...
and Miroslav Tanjga
Miroslav Tanjga
Miroslav Tanjga is a Serbian former football player. He grew up in the village of Stari Jankovci....
.
Playing alongside seasoned Yugoslav league veterans like forward Miloš Šestić
Miloš Šestic
Miloš Šestić is a Serbian retired footballer who spent most of his career at Red Star Belgrade during the 1970s and early 1980s. He also played for Olympiacos, FK Vojvodina, FK Zemun, OFK Beograd and FK Voždovac as well as the Yugoslavia national football team.- References :...
and goalkeeper Čedo Maras, all four new acquisitions made major contribution on the squad led by also newly arrived head coach Ljupko Petrović
Ljupko Petrovic
Ljubomir "Ljupko" Petrović is a Bosnian Serb former football player, today a football manager and winner of the European Cup in 1991 with Red Star.-Biography:...
as FK Vojvodina somewhat improbably went on to win the Yugoslav league title ahead of the Big Four clubs. Young Mihajlović immediately grabbed a midfield spot, appearing in 31 league matches, scoring 4 goals.
The following 1989-90 season saw Vojvodina compete in the European Cup for only the second time in club history. Though most of the key players from the previous league-winning season remained, Vojvodina stumbled at the very first hurdle versus Hungarian champions Honvéd
Budapest Honvéd FC
Budapest Honvéd FC |football]] team. "Honved" means the Homeland Defense. Originally formed as Kispest AC, they became Kispest FC in 1926 before reverting to their original name in 1944. The team enjoyed a golden age during the 1950s when it was renamed Budapest Honvéd SE and became the Hungarian...
. Losing the first leg 1-0 away at Budapest, seemingly a decent away result, was still extremely disappointing considering Honvéd played with 10 men from the 15th minute. At the return home leg played in front of half-empty stadium things went much better as Vojvodina got up 2-0 (including a bizarre opening goal from Šestić's in-swinging corner that Mihajlović deflected into goal using his hand), however a late own goal by defender Dragan Gaćeša dashed Vojvodina hopes of progressing further.
Red Star Belgrade
Twenty-one-year-old Mihajlović moved to Belgrade in January 1991 in a high-profile transfer worth DM1 million.Arriving to a club coached by his old Vojvodina mentor Ljupko Petrović, Mihajlović was brought in to establish a robust midfield presence as well as to score set-piece goals. Joining the squad full of rising European stars such as Dejan Savićević
Dejan Savicevic
Dejan Savićević , is a Montenegrin former football player and is the president of the Montenegrin FA....
, Robert Prosinečki
Robert Prosinecki
Robert Prosinečki is a Croatian football manager and former football midfielder. Prosinečki is regarded by many as the player with best technique that ever played in and for Croatia. Former national squad teammate Zvonimir Boban, humbly, also agreed with this. His dribbling is considered...
, Vladimir Jugović
Vladimir Jugovic
Vladimir Jugović is a retired Serbian football player renowned for his vision and technique.-Career:Born in Milutovac, a village near Trstenik, Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia, Jugović played throughout his career for numerous top European teams, winning the Champions League twice...
, Darko Pančev
Darko Pancev
Darko Pančev is a retired Yugoslav and Macedonian footballer, and winner of the Golden Boot award in 1991.-Club career:Pančev was the highest scorer in top-division European football in the 1990–91 season with 34 goals, and should have won the European Golden Boot award...
in addition to already established Miodrag Belodedici
Miodrag Belodedici
Miodrag Belodedici is a Romanian former football player.Nicknamed The deer due to his elegant tackles, he won the European Cup twice, in 1986 with Steaua Bucureşti and 1991 with Red Star Belgrade, thus becoming the first player to win the trophy with two different clubs...
, Mihajlović fit in very well right from the start. He made 14 league appearances, but his most memorable moment came in the European Cup semi-final return leg versus Bayern Munich: in a man of the match performance Mihajlović scored both Red Star goals - the free-kick opener as well as the dramatic injury time winner on a shot that deflected off Klaus Augenthaler
Klaus Augenthaler
Klaus "Auge" Augenthaler is a former football player and now manager.-Playing years:...
. In the final, Red Star defeated Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
on penalties, after a 0–0 draw at full time, with Mihajlović being one of the scorers. Over twenty years later in 2011, talking to a French football magazine about the famous win in Bari, Mihajlović said:
Mihajlović was also in the team later that year when Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
won the Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (football)
The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
, defeating Colo-Colo
Colo-Colo
Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo is a Chilean football club based in the commune of Macul, Santiago. It competes in the Primera División, the top-flight football league in the country, from which they have never been relegated. Their home ground is the Estadio Monumental David Arellano.Colo-Colo...
3–0.
AS Roma
In summer 1992, Mihajlović moved abroad to play for RomaA.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
where he was brought on initative by compatriot head coach Vujadin Boškov
Vujadin Boškov
Vujadin Boškov is a retired Serbian football player and coach.Boškov was born in the village of Begeč near Novi Sad, Danube Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia). He played with FK Vojvodina for most of his career...
, also a new arrival to Olimpico
Stadio Olimpico
The Stadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of Rome, Italy. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex on the north of the city. An asset of the Italian National Olympic Committee, the structure is intended primarily for football...
, having led Sampdoria in the European Cup Final
1992 European Cup Final
The 1992 European Cup Final was a football match held on 20 May 1992 at Wembley Stadium, London, between FC Barcelona of Spain and U.C. Sampdoria of Italy. Barcelona won the game 1–0, thanks to a Ronald Koeman free-kick, to record their first triumph in the competition. This was the last tournament...
mere months earlier. Led on the pitch by talisman midfielder and hometown hero Giuseppe Giannini
Giuseppe Giannini
Giuseppe Giannini is a former Italian international footballer, who currently serves as head coach of Serie B side Grosseto. He spent the majority of his 16-year playing career with A.S...
, Roma was looking to build on their previous season's 5th place league finish.
Despite competing against notable and established foreigners Aldair, Thomas Häßler
Thomas Häßler
Thomas Jürgen "Icke" Häßler is a former German football midfielder and is currently a coach for 1. FC Köln. He was formerly a coach for the Nigeria national team....
, and Claudio Caniggia
Claudio Caniggia
Claudio Paul Caniggia is a former Argentine football forward, who played 50 times for the Argentine national team. He appeared in three World Cups, and was a member of both rival clubs River Plate and Boca Juniors. Caniggia was known for his speed as a player and competed in Athletics before his...
for three foreign matchday spots, Mihajlović managed to achieve a first team
1992–93 A.S. Roma season
A.S. Roma lost its position as the dominant team in Rome, due to a mediocre season. New manager Vujadin Boškov had led Sampdoria to a domestic league title and European Cup final, but his only season in the capital was hampered by too many draws and struggles to be able to outplay the opposition...
spot in central midfield as well as to turn in a decent season with a single goal in 29 league appearances. However, the team had a disappointing overall season, finishing 10th in the Serie A final standings. Mihajlović also played a significant part in Roma's UEFA Cup campaign where they reached the quarterfinals - losing to Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
in a tie where the Serb scored a trademark free-kick for a 1-0 first leg lead, before being beaten 2-0 in the return.
The 1993-94 season started with new head coach Carlo Mazzone
Carlo Mazzone
Carlo "Carletto" Mazzone is an Italian football manager.A former centre back who played several seasons for his beloved team, AS Roma, other than Spal and Ascoli, where he played for nine season, Mazzone left the playing career in season 1968-1969, to become the manager of Ascoli itself, in Serie...
in charge as Boškov got shown the door. In addition to existing four foreigners, the club brought in Argentine ace Abel Balbo thus increasing the competition for three foreign spots. Mihajlović for his part managed to maintain his midfield spot under the new gaffer. Still, even without European competition, the team
1993–94 A.S. Roma season
A.S. Roma continued to trundle in the bigger clubs' wake, being unable to challenge for any trophies, and once again missing out on European football. New president Franco Sensi had won the battle to get the vacancy against Luciano Gaucci, who departed the club in a customary fit of rage...
again underachieved in Serie A, finishing in 7th spot - out of European spots for the second season running.
Sampdoria
During summer 1994 transfer window, Mihajlović joined the third-placed club in previous season's Serie A standings and Coppa Italia winners - SampdoriaU.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
coached by Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson , in Sweden commonly referred to just by his nickname Svennis, is a Swedish ex-football manager. From October 2010 to October 2011 he managed Football League Championship side Leicester City....
. A few years removed from its late 1980s and early 1990s heyday, the Genoa side was still an ambitious outfit, if not as financially stable, looking to challenge for trophies. Also arriving the same summer were Inter stalwarts Walter Zenga
Walter Zenga
Walter Zenga is a retired Italian footballer and current manager. He is a long-time goalkeeper for the Italian national team and Internazionale. He also holds Romanian citizenship...
and Riccardo Ferri
Riccardo Ferri
Riccardo Ferri is an Italian former footballer, centre-back.-Club career:Ferri was born in Crema, and debuted in Serie A with Internazionale in October 1981. Soon a titular defender, he became a mainstay of the team, playing for Internazionale for a total of 13 seasons.He won the Scudetto in...
as part of the deal that took goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca the other way. For Mihajlović, the arrival to Marassi meant getting reunited with former Red Star teammate Vladimir Jugović
Vladimir Jugovic
Vladimir Jugović is a retired Serbian football player renowned for his vision and technique.-Career:Born in Milutovac, a village near Trstenik, Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia, Jugović played throughout his career for numerous top European teams, winning the Champions League twice...
.
Mihajlović's competitive debut for the club took place in late August 1994 in the Supercoppa Italiana
1994 Supercoppa Italiana
The 1994 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 1993–94 Serie A winners Milan and 1993–94 Coppa Italia winners Sampdoria. It took place on 28 August 1994 at the San Siro in Milan, Italy. A.C...
match versus league champions AC Milan. It ended with mixed feelings: the Serb scored a trademark free-kick for the go-ahead goal, but after the contest ended in a draw, Mihajlović had his penalty saved in the shootout.
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
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
, where they got eliminated by Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
on penalties.
In June 1998, Mihajlović represented Yugoslavia at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, playing all Yugoslav matches in the tournament. He scored a goal against Iran
Iran national football team
The national football team of Iran represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran...
, and conceded an own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
. This made Mihajlović one of only four players to score both a goal and an own goal in the World Cup; the other ones being Ernie Brandts
Ernie Brandts
Ernstus "Ernie" Wilhelmus Johannes Brandts is a former Dutch football defender, who played for PSV Eindhoven, Roda JC Kerkrade, MVV Maastricht and De Graafschap....
, Ruud Krol
Ruud Krol
Rudolf Jozef Krol is a retired Dutch footballer who was capped 83 times for his native country. Playing the vast majority of his career with his home town club of Ajax before traveling the world as both a player and a coach...
, and Gustavo Peña
Gustavo Peña
Gustavo Peña Velazco is a retired Mexican footballer.During his club career he played for Oro Guadalajara, Cruz Azul and Monterrey. He earned 82 caps and scored 3 goals for the Mexico national football team from 1961 to 1974, and took part in two FIFA World Cups , where he was captain in both...
.
Lazio
In the summer 1998, Mihajlović was brought to LazioS.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
by head coach Sven-Göran Eriksson and club president Sergio Cragnotti
Sergio Cragnotti
Sergio Cragnotti is an Italian entrepreneur and author.One of the most high-profile and wealthy business figures in Italy in recent times, Cragnotti is best known for having been President of S.S. Lazio. However, his most influential position was as head of food conglomerate Cirio...
for ₤8.5 million. Very quickly after coming back to the capital he finally won his first trophy in Italy, as Lazio beat Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
in the Supercoppa Italiana
1998 Supercoppa Italiana
The 1998 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by Juventus, the Serie A 1997-98 winner, and Lazio, the Coppa Italia 1997-98 winner.It was the fourth appearance for Juventus , whereas it was Lazio's first appearance....
during late August 1998.
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
RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix....
. Lazio also won the 1999 UEFA Super Cup. Playing 26 games and scoring seven goals during the Serie A 1999–2000 season as Lazio won the second Scudetto in club history. Mihajlović completed the double by helping Lazio win the 2000 Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
. Mihajlović represented Yugoslavia internationally again, as he selected to compete at the Euro 2000
2000 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organized by UEFA, association football's governing body in Europe....
tournament. In the first Yugoslav game of the tournament, Mihajlović was sent off against Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....
. He served a one-game suspension before playing the last two games of the tournament.
Mihajlović won his last trophy with Lazio in 2004, beating Juventus in the Coppa Italia final.
Inter
In the summer 2004, 35-year-old Mihajlović was released from Lazio and joined his friend and former teammate Roberto ManciniRoberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini is an Italian football manager, formerly an international player and current manager of Premier League club Manchester City.As a player Mancini was best known for his time at Sampdoria, where he played more than 550 matches, and helped them win the Serie A league title, four Coppa...
at Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
on a free transfer, signing a one-year deal.
On 9 April 2006, in a league away game versus Ascoli
Ascoli Calcio 1898
Ascoli Calcio 1898 is an Italian football club based in Ascoli Piceno, Marche. The club was formed in 1898 and currently plays in Italian Serie B, having returned to it after two seasons spent in Serie A...
, Mihajlović scored his 27th career free-kick
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
goal in the Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
championship. Mihajlović ended his playing career after the 2005–06 season, aged 37, having one Serie A championship, two Coppa Italia trophies and a Supercoppa Italia title as an Inter player.
Club statistics
|-|1988/89||rowspan="3"|FK Vojvodina||rowspan="3"|First League
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...
||31||4||||||colspan=2|—|||||
|-
|1989/90||28||11||||||2||1||||
|-
|1990/91||14||4||||||colspan=2|—|||||
|-
|1990/91||rowspan="2"|Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
||rowspan="2"|First League
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...
||14||1||||||5||1||||
|-
|1991/92||24||8||||||10||5||||
|-
|1992/93||rowspan="2"|Roma||rowspan="2"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||29||1||7||5||5||1||41||7
|-
|1993/94
Serie A 1993-94
The 1993–94 Serie A was won by A.C. Milan, being the 14th title for the rossoneri.-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:23 goals* Giuseppe Signori 18 goals* Gianfranco Zola 17 goals* Roberto Baggio...
||25||0||3||0||colspan=2|—||28||0
|-
|1994/95||rowspan="4"|Sampdoria||rowspan="4"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||25||3||2||0||6||1||33||4
|-
|1995/96
Serie A 1995-96
The 1995–96 Serie A title was won by A.C. Milan , with Juventus finishing as runners-up.-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:24 goals* Igor Protti...
||30||4||2||0||colspan=2|—||32||4
|-
|1996/97||28||2||1||0||colspan=2|—||29||2
|-
|1997/98
Serie A 1997-98
Juventus won the title in controversial circumstances. In their match on Sunday, 26 April 1998, against eventual runners-up, Inter, Ronaldo was denied what appeared a clear penalty for Inter after being blocked by Mark Iuliano of Juventus. Had the penalty been awarded and then dispatched, the...
||27||3||4||1||2||0||33||4
|-
|1998/99
Serie A 1998-99
AC Milan won their 16th Scudetto, led by coach Alberto Zaccheroni. Lazio finished second, losing the title on the last day. Inter with an often Injured or rested Ronaldo had a disastrous season, finishing in 8th position, whereas Juventus impressive start was cut short by a bad injury to Alessandro...
||rowspan="6"|Lazio||rowspan="6"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||30||8||4||1||9||0||43||9
|-
|1999/00
Serie A 1999-00
Lazio won the title on the final day of the season in controversial cirumstances. Juventus, the only other team left in contention on the day lost their match against Perugia in terrible conditions at a rain-sodden Stadio Renato Curi, many considering the pitch unplayable. Pierluigi Collina the...
||26||6||7||4||12||3||45||13
|-
|2000/01
Serie A 2000-01
In the 2000-01 season, Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 13th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
||18||4||2||1||8||2||28||7
|-
|2001/02
Serie A 2001-02
In the 2001-02 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 14th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
||6||0||2||0||2||0||10||0
|-
|2002/03
Serie A 2002-03
In the 2002-03 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 15th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
||21||1||1||0||6||0||28||1
|-
|2003/04
Serie A 2003-04
The 2003-2004 season in Italian Serie A football contained 18 teams for the 16th and last time from the 1988-89 season. With the bottom three being relegated, the 15th placed side would face the 6th highest team from Serie B, with the winner playing in the Serie A in 2004-2005.As usual, the top two...
||25||1||6||0||5||1||36||2
|-
|2004/05
Serie A 2004-05
In the 2004–05 season, the Serie A, the highest professional football league in Italy, was composed of 20 teams for the first time in several years....
||rowspan="2"|Internazionale||rowspan="2"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||20||4||6||1||4||0||30||5
|-
|2005/06
Serie A 2005-06
In the 2005–06 season, Serie A, the major professional football league in Italian, was contested for the second year in a row by 20 teams. The league commenced on August 28, 2005 and finished on May 14, 2006...
||5||1||5||0||3||0||13||0
111||28||||||||||||
315||38||||||||||||
426||66||||||||||||
|}
Coaching
After retiring from playing at InterF.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
, Mihajlović right away began a coaching career at San Siro as assistant to head coach Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini is an Italian football manager, formerly an international player and current manager of Premier League club Manchester City.As a player Mancini was best known for his time at Sampdoria, where he played more than 550 matches, and helped them win the Serie A league title, four Coppa...
. Mihajlović and Mancini share a longtime friendship after playing together at Sampdoria and Lazio.
Mihajlović's free-kick expertise has been praised by Zlatan Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Milan and the Swedish national team for which he is captain....
, who after several successful free-kicks in thanked the then assistant coach Mihajlović who had trained him for 2 years at Inter.
Mancini was fired in June 2008 by club president Massimo Moratti
Massimo Moratti
Massimo Moratti is an Italian oil tycoon. He is the owner and President of Italian football team Football Club Internazionale Milano, and Chief Executive Officer of Saras S.p.A.-Life and career:...
at the end of the 2007–08 season to make way for José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
. Mihajlović left the club on the same occasion.
Bologna
On 3 November 2008, Mihajlović was appointed to replace Daniele ArrigoniDaniele Arrigoni
Daniele Arrigoni is an Italian football coach, his manager at Cesena.- Playing career :Arrigoni, a defender, made fifteen Serie A appearances in his first professional playing season with Cesena, and mostly played at Serie B and Serie C levels for several different teams, before retiring in 1993.-...
at the helm of Serie A relegation-battling club Bologna
Bologna F.C. 1909
Bologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...
. His Serie A bench debut came on 8 November 2008 at home versus Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
. The match ended in a 1–1 draw. His arrival to Bologna bench was characterized by five consecutive league draws before finally winning a match, a 5–2 victory against fellow bottom-feeder rivals Torino
Torino F.C.
Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
on 13 December 2008.
Mihajlović was sacked by Bologna on 14 April 2009 in the wake of a 1–4 home defeat against Siena
A.C. Siena
Associazione Calcio Siena is an Italian football club based in Siena.The club currently plays in Serie A, having gained promotion from Serie B at the end of the 2010-2011 season....
, 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
Giuseppe Papadopulo
Giuseppe Papadopulo is an Italian football manager and former player, last in charge as head coach of Torino.-Career:...
, Bologna avoided relegation to the Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
on the last day of the season with a win over Catania
Calcio Catania
Calcio Catania is an Italian football club founded in 1908 and based in Catania, Sicily. The club has spent much of its history in Serie B, gaining promotion to Italy's top league Serie A five times...
.
Catania
On December 8, 2009 Mihajlović was appointed new head coach of CataniaCalcio Catania
Calcio Catania is an Italian football club founded in 1908 and based in Catania, Sicily. The club has spent much of its history in Serie B, gaining promotion to Italy's top league Serie A five times...
, taking over from Gianluca Atzori
Gianluca Atzori
Gianluca Atzori is an Italian football manager and former player. He last served as head coach of Serie B outfit Sampdoria.-Playing:...
.
He signed a contract until June 2011 with gli elefanti and hired Dario Marcolin
Dario Marcolin
Dario Marcolin is an Italian football coach and former player.-Club career:During his career, Marcolin played for Cremonese, Lazio, Cagliari, Genoa, Blackburn Rovers , Sampdoria, Napoli, Piacenza, and A.C...
, his former teammate at Lazio and later colleague on Mancini's coaching staff at Inter, to be his assistant. Arriving at the club that was dead last in Serie A standings, Mihajlović made his debut with a home loss versus relegation rivals Livorno
A.S. Livorno Calcio
Associazione Sportiva Livorno Calcio is an Italian football club based in Livorno, Tuscany. The club was formed in 1915 and currently plays in Italian Serie B. The team's colors are dark red or maroon...
. However, the following week, his team pulled off a stunning upset by beating heavily favoured Juventus away in Turin with a 1–2 scoreline.
A successive string of good results, together with a number of key January signings such as former Argentine international striker Maxi López
Maxi López
Maximiliano Gastón López is an Argentine football player who currently plays as a striker for Calcio Catania in the Italian Serie A. López also holds Italian nationality.-River Plate:...
, helped Mihajlović keep the team out of the relegation zone and provide a number of very impressive performances. Another season highlight then came on March 13, 2010, as Catania achieved a historic 3–1 win versus Serie A league-toppers and Mihajlović's former team Inter
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
.
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 May 24, 2010 amid reports linking him to incumbent UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
winners Inter as a replacement for outgoing boss José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
, which did not bring to anything in the end.
Fiorentina
On June 3, 2010 Mihajlović was announced as the new head coach of FiorentinaACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
, replacing outgoing Cesare Prandelli
Cesare Prandelli
Cesare Claudio Prandelli is an Italian football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of the Italy national football team.-Playing career:...
who left the Tuscan club after getting appointed by the Italian Football Federation to become the new Italy national football team
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
manager.
Fiorentina had an underwhelming domestic league season behind them under Prandelli, finishing the campaign
2009–10 Serie A
The 2009–10 Serie A was the seventy-eighth season since its establishment. There were three promoted teams from the Serie B, replacing the three teams that were relegated following the 2008–09 season. Nike provided a new match ball - the T90 Ascente - for this season...
in eleventh place while simultaneously making the Champions League round of 16 stage where they got eliminated by Bayern Munich on away goals, in large part due to some bad officiating during the first leg when a clearly offside Miroslav Klose
Miroslav Klose
Miroslav Josef Klose is a German footballer who plays as a striker for Lazio in the Serie A. Since bursting onto the international stage at the 2002 World Cup, he has become well known for his knack of scoring headers, front-flip goal celebrations, and decisive short passing.Klose holds German...
goal was allowed to stand by Norwegian referee Tom Henning Øvrebø
Tom Henning Øvrebø
Tom Henning Øvrebø is a Norwegian football referee. Born in Oslo, Øvrebø is a former UEFA Elite referee, who has refereed matches in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League...
and his linesman. The Serb signed a two-year contract and with no distraction of European football, the talented team seemed poised for a good Serie A season
2010–11 ACF Fiorentina season
The 2010–11 season was Fiorentina's 85th season in Italian football and their 73rd season in the first-tier, the Serie A. This was also the sixth consecutive season for the club in this top-level division of the Italian football league system....
.
However, right away things did not go according to plan as they got dealt a major blow by a preseason right knee injury to attacking midfielder Stevan Jovetić
Stevan Jovetic
Stevan Jovetić is a Montenegrin footballer who plays for Serie A club ACF Fiorentina...
that would keep him out for the entire season. The league campaign started poorly with two draws and two losses before a win was finally recorded in week 5 at home versus Parma. However, that win was followed by two straight losses as the team continuosly hovered in and around relegation zone. Things finally started picking up in late October 2010 with a home win versus Bari, but soon afterwards in November, Fiorentina further got weakend by an injury to first-choice goalkeeper Sébastien Frey
Sébastien Frey
Sébastien Frey is a French footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Genoa.-Club career:Frey began his career with French side AS Cannes in 1997, at the age of 17...
that kept him out for the rest of the season. Still, Mihajlović's team continued its slow climb up the standings. Though bad away form continued, they finished the first half of the season in twelveth spot. In January 2011, an old favourite reappeared since the doping-related ban on Adrian Mutu
Adrian Mutu
Adrian Mutu is a Romanian footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Cesena.-Argeş Piteşti:Mutu began his professional career with his home club Argeş Piteşti...
expired as the forward with whom Mihajlović shares some colourful history from playing days rejoined the squad. Also Mihajlović signed winger Valon Behrami
Valon Behrami
Valon Behrami is a Swiss footballer of Albanian descent who plays for Fiorentina in the Italian Serie A, as well as the Swiss national team.-Early life:Behrami was born in Titova Mitrovica, Yugoslavia to Albanian parents...
from West Ham United, but the alternating home and away form improved only slightly as the head coach experimented with various formations. In February 2011, Fiorentina won on the road for the first time in the season with a win at Palermo. And in March 2011, the team finally recorded two straight wins for the first time in the season, climbing up to eight spot (their best placing the entire season other than the seventh spot after opening week's draw). Still, the momentum wasn't kept up for a possible late push towards a European spot, and, under Mihajlović, Fiorentina ended the league season
2010–11 Serie A
The 2010–11 Serie A was the 79th season since its establishment, the first under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 22 May 2011...
with 12 wins (only three of those away from home), 11 losses, and 15 draws, which was good enough for ninth place - twelve points out of a European spot.
During the summer 2011 transfer season, Mihajlović was strongly linked with a return to Inter in head coaching capacity, with certain Italian papers even reporting the specific date of his unveiling at the nerazzuri following supposed succesful negotiations with Inter's sporting director Marco Branca
Marco Branca
Marco Branca is an Italian former football striker who is currently head of the technical staff of Serie A club Internazionale.-Career:...
. However, Mihajlović immediately denied those claims, pledging to stay on in Florence.
He was sacked on November 7, 2011 because of bad results.
Manager statistics
| Team | Country | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Bologna Bologna Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,... |
|
2008 | 2009 |
||||||
| Catania Catania Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and... |
|
2009 | 2010 |
||||||
| Fiorentina | |
2010 | 2011 |
||||||
| Total |
|||||||||
National team statistics
|-|1991||4||0
|-
!Total||4||0
|}
|-
|1994||2||0
|-
|1995||3||2
|-
|1996||7||0
|-
|1997||9||2
|-
|1998||11||2
|-
|1999||5||0
|-
|2000||6||1
|-
|2001||6||2
|-
|2002||8||0
|-
|2003||1||0
|-
!Total||58||9
|}
Playing style
Early into playing career, Mihajlović marked himself out with an extraordinary long-distance striking ability. His precise yet hard-driven left-footed shot allowed him to score spectacular free-kick goals on regular basis. During his club career in Yugoslavia with FK Vojvodina and Red Star Belgrade as well as during his early Italian club spells at Roma, he played in midfield. In 1994 after transferring to Sampdoria under head coach Sven-Göran ErikssonSven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson , in Sweden commonly referred to just by his nickname Svennis, is a Swedish ex-football manager. From October 2010 to October 2011 he managed Football League Championship side Leicester City....
, Mihajlović got moved to central defense, which is the position he played the rest of his career.
Controversy
Additionaly, Mihajlović developed and fostered a reputation as a hard-nosed, tough-tackling player with a short fuse. As such he's had many physical and verbal run-ins with opposing players that occasionally spilled outside of the pitch.Already known as someone who doesn't back away from physical play, the 23-year-old was one of the main protagonists of the ill-tempered 1991 Yugoslav Cup Final between Red Star and Hajduk Split, going after Hajduk players with several hard tackles and getting into a nasty altercation with Igor Štimac
Igor Štimac
Igor Štimac is a retired Croatian football player. He is now a football agent and a manager...
for which they both got red carded in the 70th minute by referee Adem Fazlagić.
At the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
Yugoslavia versus Germany group stage match, Jens Jeremies squared up to Mihajlović following a rough challenge by the Serb and the two exchanged verbal insults. Though at first glance everything ended there, television camera from another angle caught Mihajlović spitting in the German's face.
Later that year in November, during the Lazio versus FK Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
second leg UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
second round tie, 30-year-old Mihajlović had a match-long battle with 20-year-old striker Mateja Kežman
Mateja Kežman
Mateja Kežman is a Serbian football striker who plays for FC BATE Borisov of the Belarusian Premier League....
. Playing old cross-town rivals in front of large home crowd seemed to provide extra motivation for Mihajlović who marked the up-and-coming youngster very aggresively and seemingly went out of his way to show him up.
By Euro 2000, Mihajlović's temper was well noted in the football world and he showed lack of control again during the opening group stage
UEFA Euro 2000 Group C
Group C of UEFA Euro 2000 was one of four groups at UEFA Euro 2000. Spain won the group ahead of Yugoslavia. Norway and Slovenia were eliminated.---------------------External links:* at UEFA.com...
match versus Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....
. Three minutes after gifting Slovenia 0-3 lead when his cross-field pass got intercepted by Zlatko Zahovič
Zlatko Zahovic
Zlatko Zahovič is a retired Slovenian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.After making a name for himself in Europe in Portugal, most notably with Porto and Benfica, he went on to have unassuming spells in Spain and Greece...
, frustrated Mihajlović first got a yellow card for hacking down a Slovenian player as they jostled for position going up for a high ball. Mere seconds later, as tempers flared and Sašo Udovič
Sašo Udovic
Sašo Udovič is a retired Slovenian football player.He played for Hajduk Split , KSK Beveren , Lausanne Sports and LASK Linz in Austria....
and Albert Nađ exchanged insults, completely rattled Mihajlović needlessly approached Udovič, giving him a slight petulant push. Udovič theatrically fell to the ground resulting in Mihajlović receiving another yellow from Portugese referee Melo Pereira
Vítor Melo Pereira
Vítor Manuel Melo Pereira is a retired football referee from Portugal, best known for supervising four matches at the FIFA World Cup: two in 1998 and 2002.-References:*...
thus getting himself thrown out of the match. Ten-man Yugoslavia still managed to come back in the last 30 minutes to tie the score 3-3.
Several months later during fall 2000, Mihajlović raised a storm of controversy due to his alleged racist remarks directed at Arsenal's Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
. The incident occurred during the ill-tempered Lazio versus Arsenal UEFA Champions League match on 17 October 2000 at Stadio Olimpico
Stadio Olimpico
The Stadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of Rome, Italy. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex on the north of the city. An asset of the Italian National Olympic Committee, the structure is intended primarily for football...
. Throughout the match Mihajlović had run-ins with several Arsenal players including Martin Keown
Martin Keown
Martin Raymond Keown is a former English footballer. Widely regarded as one of the best man-markers of his generation, Keown played for six different football clubs during his career but it was with Arsenal that he will be best remembered. Keown made over three hundred appearances for Arsenal...
and Robert Pires
Robert Pirès
Robert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04...
, but things really boiled over after the final whistle as Mihajlović and Vieira were seen trading insults and trying to get at one another physically before being restrained by teammates. After the match Vieira went to the media accusing Mihajlović of racist abuse, specifically remarks that were revealed to be "nero di merda" (black piece of shit). Mihajlović subsequently apologized, but contended that his words were in retaliation to Vieira's remarks, calling Mihajlović a "zingaro di merda" (Gypsy piece of shit). Two months later in December 2000, Mihajlović came under police investigation over the event for possibly violating a criminal anti-racism law in Italy. Italian investigators planned on using Mihajlović's own post-game admission that he insulted Vieira to file charges that he violated a 1993 law that criminalizes the "spreading ... of ideas based on racial or ethnic superiority or hate", however nothing ever came of it. Six years later Mihajlović and Vieira became part of the same team when the Senegalese-born Frenchman joined Inter where freshly retired from playing Mihajlović was already named assistant to head coach Roberto Mancini. By all accounts, the former on-pitch adversaries got along very well during their two years together at San Siro.
On 7 November 2003, Mihajlović received an eight match suspension by UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
for spitting at and kicking Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
's Adrian Mutu
Adrian Mutu
Adrian Mutu is a Romanian footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Cesena.-Argeş Piteşti:Mutu began his professional career with his home club Argeş Piteşti...
during a Champions League group stage match. Some six and a half years later, Mihajlović would become the head coach of Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
where Adrian Mutu
Adrian Mutu
Adrian Mutu is a Romanian footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Cesena.-Argeş Piteşti:Mutu began his professional career with his home club Argeş Piteşti...
plays.
Even in the twilight of his playing career at Inter, 36-year-old Mihajlović stuck to his physical defensive style, getting into memorable tussles with Juve's 23-year-old rising superstar Zlatan Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Milan and the Swedish national team for which he is captain....
during Derby d'Italia
Derby d'Italia
The Derby d'Italia was coined back in 1967 by the famous Italian sports journalist Gianni Brera as the biannual football fixture in Italian football between Internazionale of Milan and Juventus of Turin...
.
Club
FK VojvodinaFK Vojvodina
FK Vojvodina is a football club from Novi Sad, Serbia. The club currently competes in the Serbian SuperLiga. FK Vojvodina is the third oldest football club in Serbia's SuperLiga, after OFK Beograd which was founded in 1911 and FK Javor which was founded in 1912.-History:FK Vojvodina was founded...
- Yugoslav First LeagueYugoslav First LeagueThe Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...
: 1988–89
Red Star BelgradeRed Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
- Yugoslav First LeagueYugoslav First LeagueThe Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...
: 1990–91, 1991–92 - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 1990–91 - Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
: 19911991 Intercontinental CupThe 1991 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 8 December 1991 between Red Star of Yugoslavia, winners of the 1990–91 European Cup, and Colo-Colo of Chile, winners of the 1991 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the neutral venue of the National Stadium in Tokyo in front of...
LazioS.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
- UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 1998–99
- Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 1999–2000, 2003–04 - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
: 19981998 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 1998 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by Juventus, the Serie A 1997-98 winner, and Lazio, the Coppa Italia 1997-98 winner.It was the fourth appearance for Juventus , whereas it was Lazio's first appearance....
, 20002000 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2000 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by the Serie A 1999–2000 winners Lazio and the Coppa Italia 1999–2000 runners-up Internazionale... - UEFA Super Cup: 19991999 UEFA Super CupThe 1999 UEFA Super Cup was a football match played on 27 August 1999 between the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League winners, Manchester United, and Lazio, winners of the 1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup....
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 1999–00
Internazionale
- Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 2004–05, 2005–06 - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
: 20052005 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2005 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by 2004-05 Serie A champions Juventus and 2004-05 Coppa Italia winners Internazionale. The match took place on 20 August 2005, and resulted in a 1-0 win for Internazionale after extra time.-Match details:... - Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 2005–06
External links
Profile@reprezentacija.rs Career statistics- Siniša Mihajlović's profile and stats on FootballDatabase