New Delhi [India], August 6 : Former Mumbai City FC (MCFC) head coach and FC Porto legend Jorge Costa passed away on Tuesday at the age of 53 following a sudden cardiac arrest. He was FC Porto's Director of Professional Football at the time of his passing, as per the official website of the Indian Super League (ISL).
A commanding figure both on the touchline and during his playing days, Costa took charge of Mumbai City FC in 2018. In his two seasons at the helm, he led the club to the Indian Super League (ISL) semi-finals in 2018-19.
Widely respected for his leadership on and off the pitch, Costa enjoyed a remarkable playing career with FC Porto. He captained the side to UEFA Champions League glory under Jose Mourinho in 2004, a victory remembered as one of European football's greatest underdog triumphs.
Mourinho, now the head coach of Turkish club Fenerbahce SK, was visibly emotional and broke down in tears during a pre-match press conference upon learning of Costa's passing.
"It's part of my history that goes," a tearful Mourinho said.
"You have captains and you have leaders. It's not always about the armband but what you represent. And Jorge was one of these guys who cleaned the garbage and let the coach do his job as a coach," he added.
A few years ago, Mourinho shared how Jorge Costa's leadership on the pitch made him one of the most reliable captains he had ever worked with.
"I had captains who were not leaders. I had one at Porto, Jorge Costa. One day, we were losing a match against a team called Belenenses, we were down 2-0 at halftime. I was walking to the locker room, and everyone saw I was furious.
When I was about to enter, Jorge Costa told me, 'Wait outside for two minutes, please.' He went in, closed the door, and did the dirty work for me. Then he opened the door and said, 'Coach us.' Because in the locker room, he did everything I would have done.
We won 3-2. He was a centre-back, had never scored goals in his life; that day, he scored two. A captain and a leader are very different things. You can't buy leaders. You can't manufacture leaders. And when you have them, your team is one step ahead."
Later on Tuesday, Jose Mourinho took to social media to pay his final tribute to his "top warrior."
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Jose Mourinho (@josemourinho)
In addition to Mourinho, Mumbai City FC have also posted, honouring Jorge Costa's legacy and impact on the game.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Mumbai City FC (@mumbaicityfc)
Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo shared a picture of himself alongside Costa on his Instagram story, captioning, "Ate sempre Jorge Costa", which translates to "Until Forever".
The Portuguese had a stellar playing career before venturing into coaching as he captained FC Porto to the UEFA Champions League glory in 2004 and also made 50 appearances for Portugal.
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