Miroslav Blazevic, coach who led Croatia to third place at the 1998 World Cup, died on Wednesday, the Croatian federation reported.
Blazevic was 87 years old.
“The whole football family has lost the coach of all coaches today,” the association writes on social media.
Blazevic died in the capital Zagreb after a long battle with cancer.
Born on February 10, 1935 in Travnik, which is currently part of Bosnia, he had a discreet career as a football player, having started his journey as a coach in Switzerland where he ended his journey as a player.
In 1979, he moved to Croatia, part of the former Yugoslavia, where he had managed clubs such as Rijeka and Dìnamo Zagreb and led the Croatian capital team to its first Yugoslav championship in 24 years in 1981–82.
“Dynamo’s win in 1982 was the crowning glory of my coaching career,” Blazevic told the local press in 2021.
From 1994 to 2000, Blazevic captained the Croatia national team and racked up a series of impressive victories, including third place at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.
Eloquent and charismatic, Blazevic remained popular in the former Yugoslavia long after he retired in 2015.
While battling cancer in Zagreb, Blazevic was commissioned by current Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic to finish third at the World Cup in Qatar last December. “This is for your boss. I may win five medals, but you will always be the coach of all coaches,” Dalic said after Croatia defeated Morocco.
Source: DN
