Tragic loss for football: Former Porto captain Jorge Costa dies at 53 of cardiac arrest
The former defender, who was serving as Porto's Director of Professional Football in his second season in the role, was rushed to hospital but could not be saved.
As per a Spanish media outlet Diario AS, 'Costa began to feel unwell throughout Tuesday morning and, after losing consciousness, was treated there by the club's doctors, who used a defibrillator until the national services arrived Medical Emergencies (INEM) to take him by ambulance to the hospital.'
Over his career, Costa played 530 games in all competitions - 383 for Porto and 50 for Portugal's national team.
"Throughout his life, both on and off the pitch, Jorge Costa embodied the values that define FC Porto: dedication, leadership, passion and an unshakeable spirit of conquest," the club said in a statement. 'He left his mark on generations of fans and became a symbol of Portismo.'
Costa earned the nickname "Bicho" (Animal) from teammate Fernando Couto during their partnership in central defence. As captain, he led Porto to UEFA Cup glory in 2003 and a Champions League triumph in 2004 under manager Jose Mourinho.
The defender was one of six players to win five consecutive Portuguese league championships with Porto, alongside Aloisio, Drulovic, Paulinho Santos, Rui Barros and Folha.
Costa returned to the club in April 2024 as director under new president Andre Villas-Boas.
"Jorge Costa's legacy will always remain alive in the memory of all Porto fans. You will never be forgotten, Captain," the club added.
In 2020, he was also appointed as the head coach of Mumbai City FC. By then, he had already been at the helm of clubs like SC Braga Paços Ferreira, CFR Cluj, AEL Limassol and Anorthosis Famagusta, among others.
The passing of Costa is the second tragic news for Portuguese football fans after the shocking death of Liverpool star Diego Jota in July.
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2 hours ago
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"Jurgen Klopp Is Seen Like A Dad": Liverpool Star Curtis Jones On Bond With Ex-Manager
Curtis Jones' journey from Liverpool's academy to the first team has been nothing short of a dream. The young scouser has already won two Premier League titles, a Champions League and numerous other accolades since making his senior debut in 2018. Now 24, Jones shed light on his journey at the club having joined them at the tender age of nine. Jones also revealed that he shares a special bond with former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, seeing him as a father figure. Speaking exclusively to JioHotstar, Curtis Jones spoke in details about his journey. QUESTION: What brilliant surroundings as well. I mean, obviously academy there and now you're there. But we'll come to that in a moment. And you're standing here as a premier league champion. Now, the last time I saw you was pitch side with Andy Robertson when we were doing the show, and you came out with that great quote: i am speechless'. Now it's had time to settle in, tell us how it feels to be a Premier League champion. CURTIS JONES: I mean, it's everything. As a kid, it doesn't matter which team that you are at, it's always your dream. But to do it here and I'm a scouse lad and I've come all the way through and I'm stood here now, and this is where it was all happening. Now I'm around in the first team and I'm playing games and I'm a champion of the prem. I've won it twice and... so yeah. I'm stood here, I'm made up, I'm happy but I want to achieve even more. So I'm enjoying it now but I'm thinking again about the next step. QUESTION: absolutely. But I want to take you back to that day when we saw you, when the full time whistle went against Tottenham. Is it possible to put into words that feeling of out of body emotion that you've done it and you've got over the line? CURTIS JONES: That's it exactly, just the whole thing. We've done it, finally. If you think of when the gaffer and the staff first came in, he's coming in from a different league, a huge change. Of course, we've obviously got a younger team as well. I don't think anybody would have expected this. QUESTION: When we sit down, we'll get into your journey. But we know you're a big Liverpool fan, we know you've watched so many teams, have you ever seen scenes like that? CURTIS JONES: I feel like that goes down as one of the most special things that I felt there off of the fans. It goes back to feeling the love and appreciation of the fans and that's something that, you know, that I've always said, if I can stay here and play and be a huge part of this team and a huge part of this club and the foundation of the club and to have young kids who come and point at me and be the one, 'I want to be like him.' that's what I want to try and do. And I'm not saying that I'm there yet. Now, of course, I know I've got a long, long way to go and I'm still improving and finding my feet even more. But hopefully there'll be a day when I can look back on that and say, 'that was just the start of it,' and I just carried it on. QUESTION: Like I say your journey is unbelievable. Before we get to the academy bit, what were you like growing up? Did you have a ball at your feet all the time even then from an early age? CURTIS JONES: yeah, all the time, i did the whole time. I've always said, at times in school, as hard as I try and I'd want to have my head on school, I'd always say it's my only plan and my only thought is: 'I'm a football player and that's what I want to be.' When you're young, of course, the teachers and your parents are around and they say that, 'yeah, but, you're not going to be a footballer because it's a hard thing to go and achieve. You need a backup plan b, c, d.' you know what I mean? 'You need good grades.' I was just always saying, 'no, I'm going to be a footballer.' I think growing up, I respect the elders, but I also I had my little cheeky way about me. I don't think I've changed that now. I just know how to use it. QUESTION: To channel it? CURTIS JONES: Sn a better way and don't try and make anybody feel a certain type of way around me or anything like that. Looking back, I think I was a good kid. I just had a dream, and I'd do anything to achieve that dream. QUESTION: At what point did you think, 'I'm pretty good at this. This dream might well be on!' because, let's be honest, people watching this, i was the same, every young kid has that dream. And then you reach a point where someone tells you or, you know I'm not going to make it... But you're the small percentage of the opposite. CURTIS JONES: I feel I was so in love with the game from a kid that I didn't really care, or I didn't really know if I was good or not. I just wanted to have a ball at my feet. I never really cared if I was out on the pitch and I didn't really care who was inside the stands or if a director of the club was there, and they were going to watch the games and like, 'oh that's the man there that you've got to impress', and all things like that. I didn't really care about all that. And I feel that's the important thing now with kids and parents and that I feel that they have to understand that you can't force your kids to go and play or she has to want to go and play. I feel that was always me from a kid and I never really knew, how good i was until probably 16. QUESTION: Really? CURTIS JONES: 16 was when the penny dropped and I was like, 'okay, I've got a real chance here.' and when things start to actually click. And that's when you really start to understand the game and you study the game and you start to hear things around you and obviously you sit down with the bigger guys of the club and they're explaining things. And then its like, 'oh, the main guy actually likes me!' then I'm telling my mum and mum's telling me, 'oh, that's a good thing', and this and that. And then it starts to click that I've got a chance here. QUESTION: What was it like sort of growing up here, really? And you mentioned your mum there. How important was her role? CURTIS JONES: I come from a place where we didn't have much. You can get caught up in a load of other things, but I had a great mum, a fantastic mum who always made sure that i was in training every single day. I went to school every day. She made sure that I was guarded right. And yes, I have seen my mum here in the freezing cold, in the rain and the snow. So it's good now that I've achieved what I've achieved and I say it all the time, I'm nowhere near where I want to be and where I know I can be, but the fact that she can sit at home and see me on a TV or she is there in the stands and knows how much hard work she put in all the time. I couldn't be any more thankful for what she has done. QUESTION: You mentioned at 16 you thought you were quite good. What about when Steven Gerrard became the under 18's coach? What was that like for? For you and the local players? Someone of that stature coming in at that age group? CURTIS JONES: Although he was my coach and my idol, the relationship we gained was like a friendship group. He basically just sat me down and was as honest as he could be. And I feel that that's when I went to the next step. I remember the very first talk that we had wasn't great. And I don't say it wasn't great in a way of it didn't help me, but how he spoke to me. He was brutally honest. He was loud. He had a little bit of a go at me. QUESTION: Do you think, looking back, that's what you needed? CURTIS JONES: Looking back, that's what i needed. I feel with all his experience that he knew that I'm a lad, that I can take it on the chin as well. That's the one that shaped me up to where I am now. Then you come into the first team, you're not always going to have good games and you'll have fans who will say whatever they want to say. But if anybody knows me and knows that I've got an attitude, it's like, 'I don't care.' like it or not, I show every day that I'm the best. So eventually it will click. I just need more of the trust and the love off the ones above me and show all the time that the ones who get bought in, that I'm better than them and all things like that. And that's just always been the attitude and mindset that I've had. I feel that Steven had been one that I had looked up to and to him as a kid, and he always had that mind frame as well. You know what I mean? And he's a scouse lad and he's the captain of the team. And I don't care who they buy in or anything like that, I'm the main one here. But yeah, it takes time to obviously to show the world. I feel that he guided me down that path to make sure that no matter what happens, that you never lose that mind frame. You never lose you. QUESTION: Everything you've achieved so far and hopefully go on to achieve when you first played for the first team in the fa cup. Was that a sort of a payback even then to these people as well that you were in the first team, you've played for the first team? CURTIS JONES: 100%, yes. 100%. I mean, look, we come in here as young kids and you've got everything, you've got your food, you've got the pitches, you've got your own grounds man and all things like that. There's so much work that then when you go and play that all this stuff in the background that nobody sees it. That's all the big base that has helped you now go and play. The first game that I ever played in, the same night I went back to my mum's house and there was no sort of like, 'okay, you've made it.' it was, 'what's next? What's next?' I've had my first game, but now I need to go and show that I'm here to stay and to be a big part of the team. My mind frame is always everything that I achieve and that I go and do is: 'now what's next?' because i want to be at the top of the game for as long as I can be. He came in here when the team wasn't as great and he leaves here as the man that he is now and how much that he is loved by the players and the fans and the city and how he is seen. He is seen like a dad. This year I have played as a striker, as a number 10, a number 8, a number 6. I have played as a full back, played off the left. It shows how much that he trusts me, and it's good that he knows I am, no matter where he plays me, he knows I can do a job. QUESTION: What was next was a bit of a wait before you played again in the league cup with Jurgen Klopp. Was that a period as well where that self-belief was really important for you? Because there was people from the outside, 'maybe he should go on loan. Maybe he should go could get some experience.' CURTIS JONES: My mind frame was, 'loan? Where?' I don't know where I could have gone where I would learn more than where I was at the time. And yes, I wasn't playing as many games as other lads the same age as me were playing more games than me. QUESTION: Is it harder, Curtis, as a local player sometimes do you think to make your mark in that sense? CURTIS JONES: Sometimes I think that the whole time it's harder. QUESTION: Is it? CURTIS JONES: 100%. Because, I don't know how to say this without upsetting anybody. But it's like, I'm one of those lads and I've always had an attitude of I don't care who you go and buy. You can buy anybody that you want. No matter what, I'll still be here because I want to show you every single day that I'm better than them, that I outwork them, and that you can trust me more than them. I've always said, you've seen it loads in the big games, I'm always a part of the big games. And that just shows how much trust that one, that the team has in me but secondly, the staff as well. When it starts getting hard or we go and play against a bigger team and there's more on the line then now I want to see the lads who don't go and hide. It's okay when it's against a smaller team in the prem or a smaller team in the champions league and you know you can play with more freedom and it's nice and easy. But what about when we go and play against the Chelsea's or Newcastle away or the PSG's away and all these big games, and arsenal's. All things like that. Now let's go and see the lads who step up and still play their exact same game. And that's why I've got a lot of respect for the likes of Mo and Virgil and Trent, because although they're the main ones in our team and have always had that thing about them, although they are good against the lower teams, when the bigger teams come in they are the lads who you look at and think that's how you're meant to go and play. That's how you're meant to go and play. And I feel that that's why they've got such a big name in the whole of the world because they do it on the big stage. And that's the kind of lad that I want to be. I've got the mind frame. I've got the ability. I have to make sure that i keep the trust of the staff and gain even more. I'm always there. I show every day. You can ask any of the lads, i show every day. I work hard. I'm always one of the first in the gym, and I'm always one of the last out. But i definitely think it's harder when you're coming through as an academy lad, 100%. QUESTION: But you've made huge strides. I mean, from scoring in the derby, to captaining the team that night to being part of that squad who won the premier league as we were talking about before. When Jurgen Klopp made that announcement, wherever you were at the time, was that a shock at the time that you were on this upward trajectory and then the manager's now said this? CURTIS JONES: Yeah, emotions were actually mixed. I feel that the season when he left, i feel at the back end of the one before he left was when I'd first gained his full trust where he was using me game after game. And the talks that I had with him and all things like that, i feel that for this whole time I've been just chipping away and chipping away and now I've now finally gained his trust to where I knew I was going to be a huge part of his team, which i was anyway. But i played an even bigger role. But yet I feel that there comes a time in a life where family and, your kids and for Jurgen and his staff, of course, they've got their grandkids as well, that there's s more to life. I'm sat here now as a dad as well, myself. My mind frame has always just been football, football, football, football, football. And at times, there's a lot of stress and weight on you. So for Jurgen, who's obviously been in the game for so many years, one of course he's played in and two, he's been at Dortmund and the stuff he did there and then he came in here when the team wasn't as great and he changed the whole thing, he flipped it over. And then he leaves here as the man that he is now. And how much that he's loved of us, as you know, the players. And then from the fans as well. And the city of how he's seen. He's seen like a dad. But i feel that he had achieved everything that he wanted to. You know, he came in here and his first thing was, 'i want to build a team that is ready to go and compete every single week', and that's what he's done. And then he made the team that's, 'okay, we compete every week, but now we have to go and win.' and that's what we started to go and do. And then the man that he was, he had a handful of lads and I was one of them, that he wants to see me come into his team and go and do well. So he came in, he changed the team. He started to win. He then achieved things and then he helped the youth as well. You know, you can't ask for any more. QUESTION: So you said to me before, when Arne Slot was appointed, you were given six weeks off, but you wanted to come back after four. Is that the self-belief again? That there was a new chapter and you wanted to be even more part of this chapter? CURTIS JONES: Yeah, I just felt everybody had a fresh slate. There's not going to be any favourites or anything like that because he has to go off of what he sees. I just thought that the sooner I'm back then the more time that I get to spend with him and the more time he gets to see me. This year I've played as a striker and as a number 10 and number 8 and number 6. I played as a fullback, I played off the left and although I want to play as a 10 or an 8, I want to stamp my mark there and stay there. I feel that it's also good that it shows how much that he trusts me, and how good that he knows that I am, that no matter where he plays me, I can go and do a job. QUESTION: What would you say the main differences are between the two then? Having gone from one and just had one full season with the new manager? CURTIS JONES: I mean, the principles of how he wants us to go and press and how much that we have to go and run and how much that he wants to win is exactly the same. I just feel that we just want the ball a little bit more. We take more of a risk. QUESTION: Does that suit you more personally, do you think? CURTIS JONES: Yeah, I think so. Because obviously I'm a lad who always wants to take a risk, i just feel that how he wants to go and play is more like, we dominate teams more when we have the ball. It's not every single time that we've got the ball that we have to go and attack and that's where it benefits me that I'm comfortable on the ball enough to know where the team will come and press. We'll keep holding the ball and I'll twist, I'll turn and I'll slow it down and then we'll keep the ball. And that then shows the opposition, okay we can't just go and press him. QUESTION: I mean, we did the show from Ipswich on the first day and the manager said the first half was, you know, getting used to it. But then the second half was like flicking a switch in the very first game. I know you'd had a pre-season and training sessions, but for that change that you're talking about, they all took it on board so quickly.. CURTIS JONES: again, I just feel that the players that were already there, I feel that was more of their style of play anyway. QUESTION: Is that clever management then do you think, Curtis? CURTIS JONES: Clever management, I think. But at the same time, and i say it all the time, is if you're a footballer, you can play anywhere and you can adapt any single time. Well, if he wants to flip a switch and he now wants to go and play like this, you have to be able to adapt and then that's how you last. And again, it goes back to that's how you gain the trust and all things like that, is a manager wants to see a lad who understands the game. It's okay if you play a game and you play a style of play. But when things are hard, who now understands the game and who can adjust and who, when I go and tell him, 'okay, I need you to now play a different role,' that he can be like, 'yeah, fine.' and he can just change. And now he can go and play that role. So yeah, I think that the management has been good but at the same time, I feel that the team that was already there, with younger lads and of course we've got the experienced lads as well around us who have been there already and who have played hundreds of games that obviously help as well. So yeah, I feel that the team now that is being built at the balance is great. QUESTION: What about for you personally as well as a group. How durable everybody's been with his in-game changes, with his week-to-week changes? When you look at the other teams and perhaps some of the injuries that have been suffered, Liverpool and yourself, haven't had any of that? CURTIS JONES: That's because we've got a team who look after ourselves. Because you've got to, if you want to win, if you want to play every single week. If you want to be the best you can be every single week, you've got to look after yourself. You've got to do extras on the outside. You've got to employ your own guys around you that's going to keep you fit. Of course, there's times when the days are long and it's hard and you just want to come in and go home, but the ice baths and the recovery and all this stuff, it's important. QUESTION: How excited are you personally to go and build on the foundation of this season? And how excited should Liverpool fans listen to you talk like that be about the immediate future as well. CURTIS JONES: I mean, I could sit here for hours and hours and speak about everything, but it's all about the action. I feel there are loads out there who do all this talking about how they've got the best team and the best team should always win, but the team who plays the best isn't always the team that always wins. Or the team that has the best lads in their team, isn't the team that always goes and wins. It's about the team who want it the most and we've got a young team who technically are great, they've got a great mind on them, but at the same time we want to really win and we know how to win. I feel now that we've just got a team full of winners and young, energetic lads who just want to just go and play, if you're starting or not, we are in this as a team because if you play or not, at the end of the year, it's all about how much you've won. And that's why I'm sat here now with a smile on my face and can and can speak about all the positives. But this has been a year where there's been games that I should have played, but I haven't. But I trust that that's the right choice for the team. And I don't want to argue, and I don't want to be a lad to upset the lads in the changing rooms. It's been exactly the same with the likes of Dom (Szoboszlai), where there's been times when he thought that he should have played, but I've played or Macca hasn't played at times, or Cody at times. But it's not about: 'I'm upset and I'm going to be a bad egg around the place'. It's about: 'I'm going to go and train hard and for when the team needs me that I'm there'. That's the foundation and the team that we've built. We're sat here now with a premier league in our first year. I feel that it's exciting times. There's going to be lads that are going to go on their own journeys and leave as everybody knows. But then at the same time, we're going to go and buy lads in and those lads will understand that you come in here to play a huge role and to help us go to the next step and hopefully lads who are coming in can see our team are excited by what we have and what we show. Watch the interview, streaming live on JioHotstar, August 8th at 8 PM. Catch all the action from the Premier League 2025-26 season, August 16 onwards, LIVE & Exclusive on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar
News18
3 hours ago
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Mikel Arteta Unhappy With Arsenal's Defending After 2-3 Defeat To Villareal
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta criticised his team's naive defending after a 3-2 friendly defeat to Villarreal. Arsenal were naive in their defending and paid a painful price, manager Mikel Arteta said after his side's 3-2 friendly defeat against Villarreal, resulting in back-to-back pre-season losses. Arsenal began their preparations for the new season with victories over AC Milan and Newcastle United. However, they then lost to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and found themselves trailing 2-0 within 33 minutes against Spanish side Villarreal at the Emirates on Wednesday. 'Today I think the result is painful. I think they were super efficient but we've been naive, especially the way we have defended in open spaces and that's something that, especially the way we play, we have to absolutely nail," Arteta told reporters. 'Today we haven't been good at all in that department and that has cost us the game for sure." Arteta, however, was pleased with what he saw from striker Viktor Gyokeres, who completed his 63.5 million euros ($74.14 million) switch from Sporting last month, after handing the 27-year-old Swede his first start in an Arsenal shirt. 'I think it was very important for him to start a match and start to have the feeling and the connection with the team," Arteta said. "He's been with us only a week or so, but I really saw a lot of things and a lot of purpose, especially the way he was attacking certain spaces." Arteta also heaped praise on highly rated 15-year-old attacking midfielder Max Dowman, who won a penalty for Arsenal. "He continues to impress, without a doubt. The impact he had in the game again today, the efficiency that he shows in every attack and action, it's incredible," the Spaniard added. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
NDTV
4 hours ago
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Germany Great Thomas Muller Makes MLS Switch With Vancouver Whitecaps
Former Bayern Munich and Germany forward Thomas Muller has signed with Major League Soccer's Vancouver Whitecaps, the Canadian club announced on Wednesday. The 35-year-old has signed through the end of the 2025 MLS season with an option for 2026, Vancouver said. Muller announced earlier this year that he would be departing from Bayern Munich - his home for 25 years. His tenure included 13 Bundesliga titles and two Champions League triumphs. "I'm looking forward to coming to Vancouver to help this team win a championship," Muller said in a statement. "I've heard great things about the city, but first and foremost I'm coming to win. "I've had great conversations with Axel Schuster and Jesper Sorensen, and now I can't wait to play in front of the supporters and to see all of the fans come out to BC Place as we head towards the playoffs." Muller arrives at a Whitecaps team currently second in the Western Conference, one point behind leaders San Diego but with one match in hand. "He not only brings a winning pedigree and exceptional football intelligence, but also a tireless work ethic that will elevate the entire team," Whitecaps chief executive Schuster said in a statement. "Thomas is a natural leader whose passion for the game is infectious. This is a statement signing by our club and our ownership -- a transformative moment for our club and our city. We are proud to welcome Thomas to Vancouver." Restricted mainly to a substitute's role in the 2024-25 campaign, Muller made 49 appearances in all competitions, scoring eight goals. He retired from international duty in 2024, having won the World Cup with Germany in 2014. He finished his international career with 131 caps, scoring 45 goals. There had been brief speculation that he would land with Los Angeles FC, but the Whitecaps announcement came on the same day that LAFC were expected to confirm the signing of South Korean star Son Heung-min.
