Bologna forward Riccardo Orsolini reflected on his experiences with Sinisa Mihajlovic and revealed he dedicated his goal to his former coach.
Mihajlovic, who sadly passed away in December aged 53 following a long battle with leukaemia, spent the last three years of his career with the Rossoblu, taking over in January 2019 and overseeing 131 matches before his dismissal in September 2022. Orsolini worked closely with Mihajlovic during this period and became a reliable first team stalwart under the Serbian coach.
Speaking to DAZN after Bologna’s 2-1 loss to Atalanta, Orsolini discussed his goal and relationship with Mihajlovic.
“I was lucky enough to score a goal and have the pleasure of dedicating it to the coach who unfortunately left us and also to Vialli, whom I had the pleasure of meeting with the national team.
“I’m very sorry for these two losses, especially for the special relationship I had with Sinisa. I dedicated the goal to him because it was something I had in my heart.”
The 25-year-old Italian winger also touched on where he could improve.
“The coach is a hammer, he always wants full attention. He asks me to do the whole wing and give the full-back a hand when possible. You have to tie up the game and to do that you have to be physically fit because it’s an all-round job.
“I’m putting my heart and soul into it, I hope to continue like this. Unfortunately, at the moment we are reaping less than we sow.”
The 25-year-old Orsolini has scored three goals and provided one assist across 14 Serie A appearances this season.
During Mihajlovic’s three years with Bologna, he averaged 1.25 points per match across his 131 games, staying in his role despite his leukaemia diagnosis.