Former FC Porto captain Jorge Costa dies aged 53 after heart attack in Portugal

Former FC Porto footballer and Champions League winner Jorge Costa died at the age of 53 on Tuesday after suffering a cardiac arrest, according to the club.

FC Porto "expresses its deepest sadness and consternation at the passing of an inescapable figure in the club's history," a club statement said on Tuesday afternoon.

Costa was working as FC Porto's director of football when he died.

"Jorge Costa's legacy will forever live on in the memory of all Porto fans. You will never be forgotten, Captain," the statement added.

Costa had felt unwell on Tuesday morning and been taken to São João Hospital in Porto, where he "went into cardiopulmonary arrest in the emergency room and died", a hospital source told the Renascença radio station.

FC Porto's director of football was working at the club's Olival training centre when he started to experience symptoms. He was initially assisted by FC Porto's medical team using a defibrillator at the scene, the newspaper A Bola reported.

At around 12:30 pm local time (1:30 pm CET), the club called the emergency services, who transported Costa to hospital in a very serious condition, according to reports.

In 2022, Costa suffered a heart attack and underwent catheterisation to widen an artery.

FC Porto's former captain spent 15 years in Porto, playing 383 games and scoring 25 goals.

His most memorable achievement was captaining Jose Mourinho's Champions League winning side in 2004, when they beat Monaco 3-0 in the final.

Aside from the Champions League, Costa won eight league titles, the Uefa Cup, the Intercontinental Cup, five Taca de Portugal trophies, and eight Super Cups.

He also made 50 appearances for the Portuguese national team — featuring at one World Cup and one European Championship — and scored two goals.

Costa also spent a season on loan in the Premier League with Charlton Athletic, and finished his playing career at Standard Liège in Belgium.

After retiring as a player in 2006, Costa went into management. As a coach, he worked not only in Portugal but in countries such as Romania, Cyprus, France, India and Tunisia, where he managed clubs including Cluj, AEL Limassol, Anorthosis, Tours and CS Sfaxien.

Tributes from the wider footballing community have been paid to Costa since his death was announced.

FC Porto's rivals Sporting Lisbon said it "extends its deepest condolences, paying tribute to his memory and his contribution as a figure of FC Porto and Portuguese football".

Charlton Athletic said in a statement that it was "deeply saddened" about Costa's death.

"Affectionately known amongst the fanbase as 'The Tank', Costa joined the club on loan from FC Porto during the 2001/02 Premier League campaign and, despite only featuring 26 times across all competitions, is widely regarded as one of the finest centre-backs to represent the Addicks," its statement said.