LISBON: Former captain Jorge Costa has died aged 53 after a cardiac arrest at the team’s training ground, FC 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 hospital, where he died shortly after arriving, according to 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 belongs to 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”.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2025