Mihajlović

Siniša Mihajlović was born 20 February. He is a Serbian professional football manager and former footballer, who is the manager of Serie A club Bologna. 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 FIFA World Youth Championship in Chile, however, he was not selected in the team.

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.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 . Their father Bogdan was a truck driver, while their mother Viktorija worked in a shoe factory.

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 FIFA World 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.