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Former FC Porto skipper Jorge Costa passed away at 53 after a cardiac arrest at the team’s training ground.
Jorge Costa passed away on Tuesday after a heart attack (Picture credit: AP)
Former skipper Jorge Costa has passed away aged 53 after suffering a cardiac arrest at the team’s training ground, Porto announced on Tuesday, paying tribute to “a key figure in the club’s history”.
“The legendary FC Porto captain and current director of professional football passed away this Tuesday following a cardiopulmonary arrest,” the club said in a statement.
The former Portuguese international defender collapsed on Tuesday morning at the club’s training ground. He was rushed to the hospital, where he passed away after arriving, as per local media.
Costa spent most of his playing career with the club, winning eight league titles and the Champions League in 2004 under Jose Mourinho. He played 50 times for the Portuguese national team.
He was part of the golden generation of Portuguese players who won the 1991 Under-20 World Cup, alongside Luis Figo.
“It’s a shock,” Prime Minister Luis Montenegro wrote on social media, hailing Costa as “an example of dedication and commitment”.
Porto’s rivals Benfica and Sporting Lisbon also paid tribute. “Portuguese football is poorer,” Benfica said in a statement, saluting “a key figure in football and national sport, first as a player, then as a coach, and, more recently, as a manager”.
After his retirement, Costa moved into management, taking charge of multiple clubs including SC Braga, Paços Ferreira, CFR Cluj, AEL Limassol and Anorthosis Famagusta.
Five years ago, Costa took over as head coach of Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League, leaving a lasting impression with his tactical sharpness and international pedigree.
(With AFP Inputs)
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