Jorge Costa (left) has died. © APA

Portuguese football legend suddenly dead

Former Portuguese international football player and long-time FC Porto captain Jorge Costa has died suddenly at the age of 53.

August 05, 2025

From: dpa

FC Porto and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced this. "Rest in peace, captain," the club wrote on social media.

Costa, who most recently served as sporting director at Porto, suffered a cardiac arrest during morning training with the Dragons' first team, the club stated. After the incident at the Olival training center in Vila Nova de Gaia, Costa was immediately treated by FC Porto's medical department and subsequently taken to the São João Hospital in Porto. However, the doctors there were unable to save him, the club said.

Second hard blow after Diogo Jota

Jorge Costa was one of the most influential figures in FC Porto's history. The highlight of his career: Under coach José Mourinho, he won the 2004 UEFA Champions League. Among other honors, he won eight national championships and five Portuguese cups with the club from northern Portugal. He made 50 international appearances for the "Seleção."

"A dark year in the history of FC Porto," the club wrote on Instagram, alluding to the accidental death of former club striker Diogo Jota (28/Liverpool FC) a few weeks ago. "Today we mourn the loss of another legend. Our eternal captain of captains, the greatest symbol of the blue and white mystique, has passed away." Costa was a role model and "an inspiration for generations" on and off the pitch.