Sinisa Mihajlovic

Sinisa Mihajlovic holds the record for the most Serie A direct free-kick goals (28) — including a hat-trick of free-kicks for Lazio against Sampdoria in 1998, a feat never replicated in top-flight football. He scored 12 free-kicks in the Champions League — a competition record for a defender. His left-foot technique — bending the ball at speed over the wall with a late downward arc — was considered the most technically consistent in Italian football. He tragically passed away in 2023 having publicly battled leukemia while continuing to manage clubs.