Mourinho’s top warrior dies on the training ground

Former Porto captain Jorge Costa has died aged 53 after a cardiac arrest at the team's training ground, the famous Portuguese club announced on Tuesday, paying tribute to "a key figure in the club's history".

"The legendary FC Porto captain and current director of professional football, passed away this Tuesday following a cardiopulmonary arrest" the club said in a statement. The former Portuguese international defender collapsed on Tuesday morning at the club's training ground. He was rushed to hospital, where he died shortly after arriving, according to local media.

Costa spent most of his career playing for Porto but featured on year in the Premier League, in Charlton on loan. A few years back, Jose Mourinho told a story about Costa, in order to explain how a true leader looks like.

"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 center-back, had never scored goals in his life; that day, he scored two. Captain and 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" said the former Chelsea coach.

Cristiano Ronaldo paid tribute on his Instagram page by sharing a picture of the defender with a black and white filter with the caption: "Ate sempre Jorge Costa", meaning "until forever" and Porto’s rivals, Sporting and Benfica also paid their respect. Costa spent most of his playing career with the club, winning eight league titles and the Champions League in 2004 under Jose Mourinho. He played 50 times for the Portuguese national team. He belongs to the golden generation of Portuguese players who won the 1991 Under-20 World Cup, alongside Luis Figo.