Former FC Porto captain Jorge Costa has died at the age of 53.
The legendary captain died on Tuesday at the age of 53 after suffering a cardiac arrest, the Portuguese club have announced.
“Futebol Clube do Porto expresses its deepest sadness and dismay at the passing of an iconic figure in the history of the club,” the club said in a statement. “Throughout his life, both on and off the pitch, Jorge Costa embodied the values that define FC Porto: dedication, leadership, passion, and an unshakeable spirit of conquest.
Costa suffered a cardiac arrest at the club’s training centre, BBC Sport also reports.
He captained the Portuguese club to Champions League glory under manager José Mourinho in 2004 and won 50 caps for the Portugal national team.
Costa also spent a season on loan at Charlton Athletic in the Premier League during the 2001/2002 season and retired from professional football in 2006.
His death comes just weeks after the football world mourned another Portuguese player, Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident in Spain.
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Reacting to his death, Mourinho fought back tears and paid tribute to his former captain at a news conference on Tuesday ahead of Fenerbahce’s Champions League third qualifying round tie with Feyenoord on Wednesday.
“Of course, I’m very sad, it’s a part of my history that goes,” an emotional Mourinho said. “But let’s forget football, let’s focus on him, on Jorge, a young guy, on his kids.
“I’m very sad, but I’m here because if he could speak to me now, he’d say, ‘Come on, do your press conference.’ And he’d say tomorrow, ‘play the game, win the game and forget about me.’ That would be Jorge. So that’s what I’m going to try to do: Do my job today, do my job tomorrow and then cry after.” Mourinho said.
“Jorge was more than a football player,” said UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin in a statement. “He was a leader and a true warrior who inspired generations. He embodied grit, resilience and loyalty.”
“To hear of a life taken at 53 is never nice to hear, but he’s a former teammate who had such a great standing in the game and captained a Champions League winning side,” said Steve Brown, chair of Charlton’s ex-players’ association. “He was loved at Charlton, a man mountain of a player and a great guy too.”
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo paid tribute to Costa and posted a photograph of the former defender on his Instagram story with the words “Farewell Jorge Costa.”