NEW DELHI: In a tragic turn of events, Matija Sarkic, the 26-year-old goalkeeper who represented both Montenegro and Millwall, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday morning, as confirmed by his club and the national football association.
The Montenegro Football Association expressed their deep sorrow, stating that Sarkic "died suddenly early this morning" and remembering him as a "beloved member of the 'Brave Falcons', an eternally smiling guy."
Sarkic, who was born in Grimsby, had made nine appearances for Montenegro, making his debut against Belarus in 2019 and recently starting in goal during a friendly match against Belgium on June 5. His twin brother, Oliver, currently plays as a midfielder for Montenegrin champions Decic Tuzi.
Sarkic's football journey began in the youth academy at Anderlecht before he transitioned to Aston Villa in 2015. Throughout his career, he had several loan spells at various clubs, including Wigan, Stratford, Havant & Waterlooville in England, and Livingston in Scotland.
In 2020, he joined Wolves and subsequently had additional loan spells at Shrewsbury, Birmingham, and Stoke before ultimately signing with Millwall.
"Millwall Football Club is completely devastated to announce that Matija Sarkic has passed away at the age of 26," AFP quoted the English Championship club as saying in a statement.
"Sarkic, The Lions' number one goalkeeper, made 33 appearances for the club since joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2023."
"Everyone at the club sends their love and condolences to Matija's family and friends at this immensely sad time."
The Montenegro football federation echoed the sentiment.
"In the jersey of that iconic London club, he left a mark, which was yet to become part of a bigger and more beautiful story. Premature death stopped that and caused great pain to the Sarkic family."
