Jorge Costa captained Jose Mourinho’s Porto to Champions League glory in 2004
In tears, Jose Mourinho paid tribute to Jorge Costa after the former Porto centre-back passed away at the age of 53. Costa, who also played in the Premier League, wore the captain’s armband when Mourinho’s Porto won the Champions League in 2004.
Costa, who retired from playing in 2006, returned to Porto in 2024 as director of football. He is understood to be suffering from cardiac arrest during one of the club’s training sessions on Tuesday and was pronounced dead at San Joan Hospital in the Portuguese city.
The defender spent his entire career at Porto, playing over 350 games with the club. He also returned to Dragger after a year at the Charlton Athletic in the Premier League.
It was at the end of his Porto spell that the team sealed European glory under Mourinho. Costa wore an armband in 2003 for his UEFA Cup victory over Celtic.
“It’s part of my history,” Mourinho, 62, said at a press conference ahead of the Champions League qualifying rounds involving his team Fennerverse. The Turkish side will face Feyenord in their third qualifying round, with the first leg being held in Rotterdam.
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“You have a captain, you have a leader. It’s not always about armbands, but Mourinho continued, that you represent,” and Jorge was one of these guys who cleaned up the trash and let the coach do his job as a coach.
“When his captain does this job, it’s perfect for the coach. Of course, I’m very sad that it’s part of my history. But let’s forget about football. Jorge, his kids, his kids, whom I met when they were really kids, but now they’ve grown up.
“And I’m here now. If he can talk to me, he’ll tell me, come and have your press conference. And he’ll play Game Mr. tomorrow, win the game and forget about me. It’s Jorge.
“That’s what I’m trying to try, I’ll do my job today, do my job tomorrow, and then I’ll cry. But today and tomorrow I have work and I know Jorge tells me to do my job.”
Porto shared his homage following the news. “The Futebol Club Do Porto expresses his deepest sadness and surprise at the loss of an inevitable person in the club’s history,” the club writes, urging respect for friends and loved ones.
“Throughout his life, Jorge Costa embodied the values that define FC Porto on the field: dedication, leadership, passion, and an unwavering spirit of conquest.
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