'A part of my history is gone' - Mourinho mourns the loss of Jorge Costa

Portuguese Jose Mourinho, current coach of Turkish club Fenerbahce, paid an emotional tribute on Tuesday to his compatriot Jorge Costa, whom he described as a great captain and a key figure in his coaching career, following news of his death at the age of 53 from cardiac arrest.

"There are captains, and there are leaders. Sometimes it's not about the armband they wear, but what they represent. And Jorge was one of those guys who let the coach do his job as a coach, not as a leader in the dressing room. And that's perfection for a coach. I'm sad. It's a part of my history that's gone," said ‘The Special One’ emotionally during the press conference ahead of Wednesday's match against Feyenoord in the third qualifying round of the Champions League.

Jorge Costa, Porto's centre-back for more than a decade (1992-2005), was also captain of the Dragons during Mourinho's tenure with the team, between 2001 and 2004.

Under his leadership on the field and with the Setubal native on the bench, the Portuguese team won a UEFA Cup (2002-2003) and its only Champions League title (2003-2004).

“If he could talk to me right now, he would say: ‘Come on, do your press conference. Tomorrow you have the game, coach, win and forget about me’. That's what Jorge would say, so that's what I'm going to try to do. Do my job today, tomorrow, and cry afterwards,” he said.