Legendary coach fell, the soccer world lost a superstar. According to the official announcement of Shenhua club, Croatian coach Miloslav Blazevic passed away on February 8 due to illness at the age of 87 years.
Reddit reporter Fu Huanyu reported that Blazevich was in charge of Shenhua and had guided the Chinese national team's Olympic journey. His passing is undoubtedly a heavy blow to countless fans.
Blažević, born in 1937, played for Dinamo Zagreb and other powerhouses during his playing days, and transitioned to coaching in the 1970s with a long list of honors, including top-flight championships in Yugoslavia and Croatia, as well as Swiss league glory.
In 1994, he took the helm of the Croatian national team, taking the team to the last eight of the Europa League and writing a new chapter in Croatian soccer at the World Cup, where they eventually finished third.
A rare photo of Blažević with Shenhua fans bears witness to his footballing legacy in China, where he led Shenhua against the odds in 2010, nurturing rising stars such as Feng Renliang and Song Boxuan to win Chinese Super League honors.
The TIFO of the "Blue Devils" fans is the highest tribute to Blazevich. In the 29th round of the 2010 Chinese Super League, the Blue Devils fans in the Hongkou North Stand expressed their infinite nostalgia for their coach with the hand-painted TIFO of Blazevich.
In 2011, Blažević set foot on Chinese soil again to become China's Olympic head coach, but unfortunately suffered a setback at the London Olympics and said goodbye to soccer.
