Mladen Bartolović passed away 24 hours

His football career was rich and varied, and he will be remembered as one of the few players who proudly wore the jersey of both Dinamo and Hajduk, but his heart forever belonged to Vinkovci’s Cibalia.

“Mladen Bartolovi has left us. At the age of 49, after a long and serious illness, a man who left an immeasurable and indelible mark in Cibalia left. With his moves and goals, he delighted everyone who has the color sky blue in his heart, and in the history of our club he will be remembered as the club’s best scorer in the first league, and as the third the player with the most appearances for Cibalia in modern history. He sends sincere condolences to the club, his family and friends,” wrote the sky blue.

“At the age of 49, after a long and serious illness, Mladen Bartolovi passed away, who left a deep mark on Croatian football with his performances in SuperSport HNL. The Croatian Football Association expresses its deepest condolences to his family for this irreparable loss,” HNS announced.

The legend of Cibalia and the favorite of the fans

Born on April 10, 1977 in Zavidovi in ​​Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bartolovi. started his Croatian football story in Segesta in Sissa. Nevertheless, he acquired the status of an icon in Vinkovci. He played 185 games for Cibalia and scored 46 goals, becoming and remaining the club’s best scorer in the history of the First HNL. He was a gameč who felt the game, great dribbler and relentless shooter, gameč for which people came to the stadium.

His quality took him to the biggest Croatian clubs. In the 2003/04 season. he wore the Dinamo jersey, with which he won the Croatian Cup, and later, from 2006 to 2009, he played for Hajduk. The fans of the Split club especially remember him for the legendary move, the so-called “carousel”, with which he threw the Dinamo defense out of the game in the 2008 Maksimir derby in a 2-0 victory. He also played for Zagreb, Germany’s Saarbrücken and Iran’s Foolad, and he played 17 times for the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The toughest battle and love for football to the end

In the last few years, Mladen fought his most difficult battle. Although he optimistically announced in 2023 that he had defeated the disease, it unfortunately returned. In those difficult moments, the entire football community stood by him, organizing humanitarian matches and providing support, but the evil disease was still stronger.

Even after the end of his playing career, he did not separate himself from football and his Cibalia. He remained loyal to the club as a coach in the youth school, and for a time he led the senior team, which he managed to save from relegation from the league in difficult times. His dedication and knowledge were precious to the generations of young players he raised.

He left too soon, at an age when he still had so much to give. He left behind a disconsolate family, his mother Jadranka, his wife Silvija, sons Marko, Luka and Šimun, and a brother and sister. The big game is goneč and an even bigger man, his dribbling and smile will forever remain in the memory of Croatian football fans.