Tragically, goalie Matija Sarkic of Montenegro, who was also a player for Millwall in England, passed away at the age of 26.
More devastating news has reached the football world, following concerns recently expressed about the health of former Scotland and Liverpool defender Alan Hansen, who appears to be on the mend. When it was announced on Saturday, June 15, 2024, that goalie Matija Sarkic of Millwall and Montenegro had passed away at the age of 26, fans were saddened.
The Montenegro Football Association then released a statement when his club, Millwall, made the announcement of his passing. Throughout his career, Sarkic has played for numerous British teams, including Stoke City, Birmingham City, Wolves, and Aston Villa.
The legendary German football player Franz Beckenbauer passed away at the beginning of 2024.
Matija Sarkic tragically dies at the age of 26
The most recent match for Sarkic took place on June 5 of this month. It was a friendly match between Belgium and Montenegro. He made an outstanding nine saves, according to The Mirror, earning him the title of man of the match. Tragically, Sarkic’s football team disclosed over the weekend that he became ill at his flat in the Balkan town of Budva. He passed away at about 6.30 am local time, before his companions could get an ambulance to arrive.
In a statement, Millwall claimed that the club was “completely devastated” to learn of his passing, according to Sky News. Since moving from Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Lions (Aston Villa) in August of last year, Sarkic has made 33 appearances for the team. The text of the statement said:
Matija was a proud international for Montenegro who played a number of key roles for his nation.
At this deeply sad moment, everyone at the club is sending love and condolences to Matija’s family and friends.
The club went on to say that they will not be commenting on his passing any further and asked that Šarkić’s family’s privacy be respected. His death’s cause is still a mystery.
In the meantime, Montenegro called the football player “a beloved member of the Brave Falcons” and paid respect to him in a statement. Regarding his time while playing for the London club Millwall, the association stated that he “left his mark,” which would have grown had he not passed away too soon.
An examination of Matija Sarkic’s football career
2019 saw the Grimsby native make his debut for his country against Belarus. Sarkic started his career in the youth of Anderlecht and joined Aston Villa in 2015. He spent time on loan at Stratford, Havant, Waterlooville, Livingston, and Wigan Athletic. According to Millwall’s website, he made his professional debut at Wigan Athletic. In 2020, he finally transferred to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Similar to Aston Villa, Sarkic did not play in the first team at the Wolves.
Sarkic obtained experience in multiple categories, including the Emirates FA Cup, League One, and the Scottish Premier League, when he was on loan. After that, he had loan stints with Stoke City, Birmingham City, and Shrewsbury Town. During his 2021 loan stint at Birmingham City, Sarkic started to establish himself as the best. As The Blues played in the Sky Bet Championship, he performed 23 times at St Andrew’s. For an undisclosed cost, Millwall permanently signed him last summer and gave him a long-term contract.
