FC Porto’s football director and legendary captain Jorge Costa 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.
He left his mark on generations of fans and became a symbol of Portismo … The legacy of Jorge Costa will always remain alive in the memory of all Porto fans.”
Costa lifted the UEFA Cup in 2003, the Champions League under coach José Mourinho in 2004, as well as eight league trophies in his 15 years at Porto.
“Of course, I’m very sad, it’s a part of my history that goes,” an emotional Mourinho said Tuesday in a news conference ahead of his Fenerbahce team’s Champions League qualifier against Feyenoord. “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.”
Costa played 383 games for Porto and earned 50 caps for Portugal.
“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.”
Costa spent a short spell on loan at Charlton Athletic in the Premier League before finishing his playing career at Standard Liege in 2006.
“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.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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