Kenya head coach Benni McCarthy paid tribute to his former FC Porto teammate Jorge Costa who passed away on Monday at the age of 53 following a cardiac arrest at the club’s training centre, Afrosport reports.
McCarthy and Costa were teammates at Porto during the South African’s stint between 2003 and 2005, winning seven titles including the famous UEFA Champions League triumph in 2004 which Costa captained.
Costa spent 15 years as a Porto player between 1990 and 2025, winning a total of 25 titles before playing for Belgian side Standard Liege for the 2005-06 season and retired.
He went into coaching, taking charge of 16 clubs between 2007 and 2024 such as Braga, Olhanense, Academica, Pacos Ferreira and Farense in his native Portugal, and was also head coach of the Gabon national team and Sfaxien of Tunisia.
Reacting to Costa’s demise, McCarthy, who is leading Kenya at the ongoing 2024 African Nations Championship said: “It was difficult since receiving the sad news.
“It is difficult to believe considering he was still young and ordinarily a lot was lying ahead of him.
“It was a privilege to have touched him and played with him, one of the most admired captains at Porto. It is when you get such news and you wish you had called him at least last week or you could have done something.
“He is gone, but the memories will live forever with us. I convey my condolences to his wife and children. It is really sad, but it is what it is.”
McCarthy continued: “He was like an elder brother, our leader. He always stood up for everyone. What makes it even sadder is knowing I will not get the chance to say my final goodbyes or share everything I wanted to tell him. But above all, I choose to hold on to the incredible moments we shared.
“When I joined Porto, he was the toughest person I had ever met in football. I was just a kid from Africa, and he took me under his wing, looking out for me in so many ways. I have immense respect and admiration for him.
“We celebrated so many unforgettable moments together, including winning the Portuguese league, the Portuguese Cup, and the Champions League. To think that at such a young age, he is no longer with us is heartbreaking.
“He will always be part of Porto’s history as the longest-serving and most admired captain. That is the legacy he leaves behind.
“I will always cherish that I had the chance to meet him, touch him, and play alongside him.
“He is not gone, nor forgotten, he lives within each of us. We will carry the best of him in our hearts and try to reflect it in our own lives.”
Jorge Costa deixou-nos. Um de nós, um líder, capitão, exemplo. Um símbolo do FC Porto.
Obrigado por seres FC Porto até ao fim.
Até sempre, Jorge Costa. pic.twitter.com/XTmW5WVEHj
— FC Porto (@FCPorto) August 5, 2025
McCarthy has been in charge of the Kenya national team since March. He has previously in charge of Cape Town City and AmaZulu in his native South Africa while he was part of the backroom staff at Hibernian, Sint-Truiden and Manchester United in Scotland, Belgium and England respectively.
