‘Forever my hero’: Former A-League title-winning coach Rado Vidosic dies aged 64

London: Multiple A-League title-winning coach Rado Vidosic, one of the most widely-respected figures in Australian soccer, has died after a short battle with cancer.

His son, Dario, revealed the news in a post on Instagram on Monday night (AEDT). Rado Vidosic was 64.

“I am heartbroken to share that my father has passed away after a battle with cancer,” Dario wrote. “I will carry your wisdom in my steps and your strength in my heart. Forever my hero. Love you Tata.”

Vidosic had been serving as the head of coaching for women and girls at Brighton & Hove Albion for the past year, having followed Dario – the head coach of their Women’s Super League team – to the English club after his appointment in mid-2024.

Brighton last week announced Dario would be taking leave from coaching for private family reasons.

“We are incredibly saddened by this news,” said Brighton’s women’s and girls’ managing director Zoe Johnson.

“Rado was an integral part of our staff, team and club. The impact he had on our team and everyone within it will forever be remembered. All our love and thoughts are with Dario and his family at this difficult time.”

A warm, personable and humble man, few have made a broader contribution to the Australian game than Vidosic, who served in a variety of roles with five different A-League clubs, worked with men, women, boys and girls’ teams, and won trophies both as an assistant and a head coach in his own right.

Born in Osijek in the former Yugoslavia (now Croatia), Vidosic moved to Australia in 1988 with a one-year-old Dario to play for the Queensland Lions in the National Soccer League.

Like so many other foreigners who came to play in Australia, he never left – migrating permanently and commencing what would become a decades-long contribution to the sport and, through it, the country.

After a period of coaching with schools and local clubs in south-east Queensland, he served as an assistant coach at Brisbane Roar from the A-League’s first season, working under Miron Bleiberg, Frank Farina and then Ange Postecoglou, with whom he won back-to-back grand finals in 2011 and 2012 in the club’s famous ‘Roarcelona’ era.

When Postecoglou left to coach Melbourne Victory in 2012, Vidosic succeeded him as the Roar’s head coach.

He later worked as an assistant at Sydney FC, Victory and Wellington Phoenix, before becoming the technical director and head coach of Melbourne City’s women’s team, with whom he won the premiership-championship double in the 2019-20 season.

After that, Vidosic replaced Patrick Kisnorbo as head coach of City’s A-League Men’s side, guiding them to the 2022-23 premiership and a grand final appearance.

Players from City’s men’s and women’s teams will wear black armbands in their fixtures this coming weekend, the club has announced.

“Rado was a hugely respected figure within Melbourne City and the broader Australian football family,” the club said in a statement.

“His contribution extended far beyond results and trophies. Over five years at the Club, he played a significant role in shaping both our football program and the people within it, leaving a lasting legacy. He helped align coaches and pathways under a shared approach, raised standards, and had a profound influence on the development of both staff and players.

“Rado will be remembered most fondly for the person he was. He was a committed, thoughtful and deeply caring coach who placed enormous value on relationships, trust and respect.

“He built strong bonds with his players and colleagues and was widely admired for his generosity, humility and genuine interest in the people around him.

“Rado had a rare ability to challenge those he worked with while also making them feel supported, and his presence left a lasting impression on everyone fortunate enough to work alongside him.”