Birmingham City have been rocked by the death of former goalkeeper Matija Sarkic
The former goalkeeper Matija Sarkic, who passed away at the age of 26, has received tributes from Birmingham City.
Sarkic’s potential was first seen by Birmingham supporters in 2021/22, when he was named player of the season while on loan from Wolves, despite missing the entire season due to a serious shoulder injury sustained in January.
Before signing a permanent contract with Millwall last summer, he went on to excel while on loan at Stoke City the following season. His performance at the Den not only helped them secure their place in the Championship but also solidified his position as Montenegro’s top player on the global stage.
“Birmingham City Football Club is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former player Matija Sarkic,” Birmingham announced in a statement.
“The goalkeeper from Montenegro joined Blues on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers and played for them in the 2021–2022 season. Even though it was his final game of the season on New Year’s Day, he made 23 appearances for the Club, and his spirit and performances won him the Men’s Supporters’ Player of the Season Award.
“Rest in peace, Matija Sarkic.”
Born in Grimsby, Sarkic is the son of British diplomat Bojan Sarkic and Englishwoman Natalie Todd, who opposes the spread of populism throughout Europe.
Before joining the Aston Villa under-21 squad in 2015, he was a student on the books of Anderlecht in Belgium. As part of his progress, he took out loans at Wigan and Livingston, but in 2020, he went to Wolves in search of a more straightforward route to the starting lineup. After an outstanding loan stint at Shrewsbury Town, he caught the attention of scouts. In 2021, when Neil Etheridge was recuperating from the affects of COVID, Lee Bower brought him to Birmingham.
After he started picking up clean sheets, his former Villa teammate and keeper coach Andy Marshall told BirminghamLive, “From my point of view, it became a bit of a no-brainer to bring him into the building.”
“I got to know him very soon (at Villa), and he has a really self-assured demeanor. He has a very strong educational background and a decent upbringing. Thus, he picked up on whatever you said to him extremely quickly and easily.
His exceptional learning and growth abilities were one of the aspects that I found appealing. Whenever I told him something, he noticed it right away. Telling something only once or twice wasn’t sufficient. He takes up things quite rapidly, which helps you advance swiftly as well.
He was an expert model. After we began teaching him self-care, he began to take care of himself. By self-care, I mean that on a Saturday, everyone witnesses the glitz and glamour of Matija Sarkic as she plays the ball out, makes saves, and advances for crosses. However, it’s crucial that you put in a lot of effort both on the training field and off.
“How you go to bed early, how you conduct yourself in Birmingham, and how you live your life.” You can’t expect to play at your best the day after a game as a professional football player if you go out the night before. Being a professional football player means making sacrifices, and Matija embraced this from the start. I had to teach him that, and I’m still trying to teach our other young goalkeepers the same thing.
Other clubs have also made their own contributions.
“Millwall Football Club is completely devastated to announce that Matija Sarkic has passed away at the age of 26,” a statement from the team said. The top goalie for The Lions, Sarkic, joined the team in August 2023 from Wolverhampton Wanderers and has since made 33 appearances. Matija was a proud international for Montenegro who played a number of key roles for his nation.
“At this really difficult moment, Matija’s family and friends are receiving the love and sympathies of the entire club. The club requests that Matija’s family’s privacy be respected and will not be commenting further at this time.”
He had played for Aston Villa’s youth squad. The club released the following statement: “We are all very heartbroken to learn of the demise of our former goalie, Matija Šarkić. Matija became a member of our Academy in 2015 and stayed with the team for five years, making his Montenegrin debut on the international scene before leaving in the summer of 2020.
“The thoughts and condolences of all at the club are with his family and friends at this incredibly sad time.”
The following was stated in a Stoke City statement: “The club, Stoke City Football Club, is horrified and very sorry to learn of the terribly young age at which the club’s former goalkeeper, Matija Šarkić, passed away.
“Everyone associated with Stoke City sends their sympathies and best wishes to Matija’s family and friends during this difficult time. We offer our condolences and support to the Montenegrin national team, the Millwall Football Club, and all other football enthusiasts who have known Matija as a friend, colleague, and teammate.
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