Sinisa Mihajlovic

Biography

Siniša Mihajlović (Serbian Cyrillic: Синиша Михајловић, pronounced ; born 20 February 1969) is a Serbian professional football manager and former footballer, who is the manager of Serie A club Bologna. During his career as a footballer, he played as a defender or midfielder. He has 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 International Football Cup and UEFA Euro 2000 tournaments. 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 was the coach of the Serbia national football team from May 2012 to November 2013, and holds an Italian passport. Born in Vukovar into a working-class family of a Serb father from Bosnia and Croat mother, Mihajlović was raised in Borovo Naselje with a younger brother, Dražen (b. 1973). Their father Bogdan (d. 2011) was a truck driver, while their mother Viktorija worked in a shoe factory. Mihajlović identifies as a Serb, but has said that he views Croatia as his country as well. Throughout his late teens, Mihajlović was part of the Yugoslav golden generation that ended up winning the 1987 World Youth Championship in Chile, however, he was not selected in the team that head coach Mirko Jozić took to the tournament. 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, while her husband, Siniša's father, was to be killed. When the Serbian Volunteer Guard took over Borovo they captured the uncle, and found Siniša's number in his address book; Siniša was called and asked if they were relatives – he had him saved. 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. Between 1991 and 2003, Mihajlović was capped 63 times and scored 10 goals for the national team of Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro. He participated at the 1998 International Football 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 quarter-final. Mihajlović is married to Arianna Rapaccioni, an Italian former TV presenter, with whom he has five children; three sons and two daughters. On 13 July 2019, Mihajlović publicly announced that he was diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia, however still stayed on as manager of Bologna. He underwent a bone marrow transplant after three cycles of chemotherapy. Mihajlović also is known to have a large shoe collection. In October 2021 he became a grandfather, after his daughter Virginia gave birth to a daughter. The father is Alessandro Vogliacco, who plays for Benevento.