Portuguese football is in shock today over the news that Porto Football Club director Jorge Costa has died following what appears to have been a massive heart attack.
The former Porto captain and undisputed legend in his sport went into cardiorespiratory arrest at the Porto training ground in Gaia at 12.30pm.
In spite of rapid medical assistance, his death was declared shortly afterwards at Porto’s Hospital de São João.
Jorge Costa was an “essential figure in the history of FC Porto, and in the National Team”, which he joined in the early 90s, continuing to play for until his retirement from international football 10 years later.
He is possibly best known for having been the captain of Porto when the club won the Champions League in 2003/ 2004 – but his record is so extensive, and his life was always ‘about football’. He was one of the Portuguese players who had amassed the most titles, having been part of teams that won eight championships and a UEFA cup – as well as the Champions League
After retiring as a player, he went on to become a coach.
A Bola football website explains that “Jorge Costa had just finished talking with SportTV when he started to feel unwell”. He had apparently asked the reporting team to talk inside the training ground building “because of the intense heat, but a little while later, he lost consciousness”.
The site refers to a previous heart attack, in 2022, after which Costa had a catheterisation and recovered.
Jorge Costa was 53 years old.
Source material: SIC Notícias/ A Bola
