Jorge Costa, Portuguese legend and captain of Porto in 2004 Champions League win, dies aged 53

Jorge Costa, who captained Porto to the 2004 Champions League title, has died from a cardiac arrest, the club has said. He was 53.

Costa, a central defender who made 50 international appearances for Portugal, was Porto's director of football at the time of his death.

Captain Jorge Costa and goalkeeper Vitor Baia lift the Champions League trophy for FC Porto in 2004. (Getty Images: Shaun Botterill)

The club said in its announcement that Costa embodied Porto's values of "dedication, leadership, passion, and an unwavering spirit of conquest."

Portuguese media reported that Costa sustained cardiac arrest at the club's training centre and was transported to São João Hospital.

Costa's finest achievement in his playing career was as captain of Jose Mourinho's Porto team that was a surprise winner of the Champions League in 2004. A year earlier, he lifted the second-tier UEFA Cup.

Costa also helped Porto win eight Portuguese league titles.

Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro offered his condolences and praised Costa's "dedication and commitment" to both Porto and the national team.

An emotional Mourinho paid tribute to Costa during a press conference for his Turkish club, Fenerbahçe.

"He's part of my history," Mourinho said.

"You have captains. You have leaders … sometimes it's not about the armband at all. It's what they represent. And Jorge was one of these guys who cleaned the garbage and let his coach do his job as a coach and not as a leader of the dressing room.

"That's perfection as a coach, when your captain does this work. I'm very sad. He's part of my history, of course.

"But let's forget football. Let's focus on him. Jorge was a young guy with his kids. I am very sad, but I'm here now because he would tell me, 'C'mon, do your press conference'. And he would say, 'Play the game tomorrow. Win the game and forget about me'.

"That would be Jorge, so that is what I am trying to do. To play the game. To win the game and then cry after."

Costa spent a short period on loan at English team Charlton in the 2001–02 season.

"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."

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