Former Yugoslavia and Real Madrid coach Miljan Miljanic, 81, has died in his native Serbia after a long battle with illness. "Real Madrid wishes to express its deepest condolences to his family," the nine-times European champions said on their website (www.realmadrid.com) on Friday. "Miljanic left a great impression at the club both professionally and personally."
He was in charge of Real between 1974-77, winning two league titles and one King's Cup, and coached Yugoslavia in two spells between 1973-74 and 1979-82 including two World Cups. Miljanic spoke several languages and travelled the world to study the game. He was a footballing pioneer in the former Yugoslavia but was also considered to be a pragmatic coach who often put results ahead of entertainment. Miljanic spent his playing days at Red Star Belgrade until taking over as club coach in 1966. He also had a spell in charge of Valencia in 1982-83 before going on to spend several years as president of the Yugoslav football federation.