(MENAFN) Sinisa Mihajlovic, an important character in Italian football, died at the age of 53 after a battle with cancer, according to reports.
Mihajlovic was born in Vukovar, Croatia, and spent the most of his life in Italy after joining Serie A from Red Star Belgrade in 1992.
He then played for Sampdoria, Lazio, and Inter Milan before retiring in 2006, having won the Italian title with both Lazio and Inter.
Many believe him to be one of the finest dead-ball specialists in the history of the sport, and he still holds the record for the most free-kick goals in Italian football history, with 28.
For the majority of his time in Italy, Mihajlovic was a tough-tackling defender who was embroiled in controversy on several occasions.
In the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, he appeared to spit in the face of German player Jens Jeremies after the two exchanged words following a violent challenge from Mihajlovic.
In 2003, he received an eight-match UEFA penalty after being accused of spitting again, this time at former Chelsea player Adrian Mutu. Several years later, he would coach Mutu at Fiorentina.
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