Exclusive! Telegraf at Sinisa Mihajlovic's Rome memorial: Arianna's tears, saddened family, football legends

It's been a year since one of our greatest footballers and one of the most loved ones - Sinisa "Miha" Mihajlovic left us.

In Miha's honor, the first commemoration of his death was held in Rome, in a church that the Serbian Orthodox Church rents for services in the eternal city.

Miha fought fiercely against leukemia for three and a half years, but finally lost the battle on December 16, 2022.

In honor of Miha, Telegraf wanted to keep his memory alive, so interviews were conducted with the people closest to him. You can read his brother's exclusive testimonial on our portal, and in the coming period there will be more big and emotional stories about Miha.

In honor of Miha, we also went to Rome and attended the commemoration, held by a priest of the Serbian Orthodox Church who traveled from Vienna to lead the memorial service. The ceremony was performed according to Orthodox customs in Serbian, and in Italian.

"I am the protopriest Roman (of the Serbian Orthodox Church) and I come twice a month to Rome to serve here. Last year, when Mihajlovic died, our Bishop Andrej came to Rome to hold a funeral service for him, and after that we held a memorial service on the 9th day, and after 40 days, as well as the semi-annual memorial service at the cemetery. Today we also mark the anniversary (of his passing). In the Orthodox Church, members of the Orthodox Church are both those alive, and the dead. We are together in liturgy (mass) and now Sinisa is a member of our parish. And during every liturgy, we pray for him, because as a member of our parish, he is present in every liturgy," Father Roman said.

Emotions could not be held at bay, nor could the tears, and it was especially difficult for Sinisa's widow Arianna, who could not hold back her tears.

All the closest people from Miha's life were there, his wife, children, mother, brother, granddaughter, other family, godfathers and closest friends.

Dejan Stankovic and Miroslav Tanjga were there as his best men and brothers, because Miha considered them his brothers along with his own blood brother, Drazen.

There were also the legends of Italian football, Marco di Vaio, the famous striker, now the sporting director at Bologna, where Miha worked as a coach when he first fell ill with leukemia.

Also, there was the legendary Daniele de Rossi, a former AS Roma captain, who, after Francesco Totti, is the biggest footballing name to emerge in Rome in the last two decades, and was once considered the heir of Totti himself, who was nicknamed "The Prince of Rome."

There were also some of the football players whom Sinisa trained, and all that speaks to his greatness and how much everyone has and continues to respect him, but also has not forgotten him.

Because legends like him stay with us forever and live as long as we remember them.

(Dusan Ustevic)