Matija Sarkic's twin and fellow footballer Oliver posts heartbreaking social media post after his brother's tragic death aged 26... as Stan Collymore pays tribute online

Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic has died aged 26 after falling ill on Saturday.
Former Blackpool star Oliver Sarkic paid tribute to his brother on social media

Tributes have been pouring in on social media following the untimely death of Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic, aged just 26.

Born in Grimsby to a Montenegrin father and English mother, Sarkic was on international duty when he collapsed after falling ill before passing away on Saturday morning.

Sarkic’s twin brother Oliver played alongside him at the Anderlecht academy and Matija attended his wedding just a week ago.

Following Matija’s passing, Oliver shared a photo of the brothers sharing a moment together with a heart emoji on his Instagram Story.

Stan Collymore wrote on

Tributes have poured in for Matija Sarkic after the Millwall goalkeeper died aged 26.

Matija’s twin brother, former Blackpool midfielder Oliver, shared a photo of the couple together on his social media

The brothers began their football career together at the academy of Belgian club Anderlecht.

“A young man who has everything in front of him puts everything in perspective. I offer my deepest condolences to his family.

An announcement on Milwall’s official website read: “Millwall Football Club is completely devastated to announce that Matija Sarkic has passed away at the age of 26.

“Sarkic, the Lions’ number one goalkeeper, has made 33 appearances for the club since arriving from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2023.

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“A Montenegrin international, Matija has proudly represented his country on numerous occasions.

“Everyone at the club sends their love and condolences to Matija’s family and friends at this extremely sad time.

“The club will make no further comment at this time and asks that the privacy of Matija’s family be respected,” the statement concluded.

Sarkic’s former club Aston Villa wrote on social media: “Everyone at Aston Villa is deeply saddened by the news of the passing of our former goalkeeper Matija Sarkic.

“Matija joined our Academy in 2015 and spent five years with the club, during which time he made his full international debut for Montenegro, before leaving in the summer of 2020.

“The thoughts and condolences of everyone at the club are with his family and friends at this incredibly sad time.

After starting his career at Anderlecht, Sarkic signed professionally with Villa for the first time in 2017.

Sarkic’s former clubs paid tribute to goalkeeper after his tragic death

It was during his time in the West Midlands that Sarkic took his first steps into senior football with loan spells at Wigan, Stratford Town, Havant & Waterlooville and Livingston.

Sarkic joined Wolves in 2020 but again spent much of his time on loan, enjoying spells with Shrewsbury, Birmingham and Stoke before joining Millwall permanently last summer.

The goalkeeper played the full 90 minutes of Montenegro’s friendly against Belgium last week and was named man of the match for his performance in the 2-0 defeat to Belgium.