Antic, ex-Atlético, Madrid and Barcelona coach, dies at 71

MADRID (AP) — Former Atlético Madrid coach Radomir Antic, who led the club to the Spanish league and Copa del Rey titles in 1996, has died, the club said on Monday. He was 71.

The club did not provide a cause of death for Antic, who also briefly coached Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The former Serbian player managed Atlético over five seasons in 189 official matches, the fourth most in club history.

The Spanish league and Copa del Rey double came in his first season at Atlético. His squad included current coach Diego Simeone.

Atlético said Antic instilled an efficient style that focused on compact defending and fast counterattacking. More than half of the team’s goals that first season came from set-pieces, another key weapon of his team. Atlético started that season with a run of 12 straight league games without a loss, a club record at the time.

The Copa del Rey title came in a final against a Barcelona team that included Pep Guardiola and Luis Figo, who were coached by Johan Cruyff.

“Today is a sad day for Atlético fans and the world of football,” Atlético president Enrique Cerezo said. “We lost a great person and one of the architects of a magnificent golden era for Atlético.”

Antic coached Real Madrid from March 1991 until January 1992, and managed Barcelona in 2003.

Antic played for clubs such as Partizan Belgrade in Serbia, Fenerbahce in Turkey, Zaragoza in Spain, and Luton Town in England.