As reported by L’Équipe, former FC Nantes and Croatia national team manager Miroslav Blažević has passed away at the age of 87.
“Ćiro” was at the helm of the FC Nantes ship between the years of 1988 and 1991, before a short stint at PAOK Thessaloniki. He soon returned to his home country, managing Dinamo (then Croatia) Zagreb for two years before he took the reins for his national team in 1994.
He spent six years as their head coach, during which time he took the Vatreni to the World Cup semi-final in 1998 against France. Eventually knocked out by the would-be winners, Croatia would go on to take the bronze medal in their highest-ever finish until the Russia 2018 final, 20 years later.
During his lifetime, he had a prolific career. Not only had he taken control of more than 20 different clubs, but he also managed four different national teams. He passed away after a long battle with cancer, just two days before his 88th birthday.
GFFN | Brendan Cox
