Former Porto captain George Costa died after a cardiac arrest at the training center of the 53 -year -old club, the Portuguese side has confirmed.
Defender led Porto to the glory of the Champions League under Manager Jose Morinho in 2004 and won 50 caps for Portugal.
Costa spent a season on a loan in Charlton in the Premier League in 2001-02 and retired from playing in 2006.
Center-back went into management and held positions in 16 clubs before playing the role of director of Porto’s professional football in the last season.
The club said, “In his entire life, on the pitch and out, George Costa embodied the values that define FC Porto: an unbreakable sense of dedication, leadership, passion and victory,” the club said. “He left his mark on generations of fans.”
This is the third unexpected death of the East-Porto player in the summer of this year, which is after the tragic of former lender Dogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who spent six years in the club in July.
