France 98 was something of a let-down as Milutinovic was finally in charge of a team that looked capable of making serious progress.
Victory over Spain in a wonderful opening game was followed up with another win against Bulgaria, but with qualification assured Nigeria slipped up badly against lowly Paraguay.
They could not recover their earlier form for the knockout stages and missed out on a meeting with Brazil as they were thrashed by Denmark.
Despite leading China to the World Cup finals for the first time, Milutinovic has had an uneasy relationship with the country's football association.
His position was far from secure even after qualification was assured and he has now suggested that he will retire from the game for good once the World Cup finishes.
"I'll be 60 when the World Cup is over. It's time for my retirement," he told Chinese newspaper Huaxi Dushi Daily.