An absolute Animal at the back for us. (His other nickname being Bicho in Portuguese, as well as Tank.)
One of my favourite players ever to wear the shirt. And I was eight when he played for us, so did I give much of a toss about centre backs? Not until him. The tackle he made out of nowhere when, I think it was Eidur Gudjohnsen was through on goal is well in the memory.
RIP, such a shame. Other than Simonsen, can’t think of any other player who made such an impact in the few games (24) he played for us. Beast of a defender.
RIP. apart from being a great player for us he always spoke highly of us in the years since and even mentioned he would like to manage us if the opportunity arose. A true legend and I believe he really did hate Milwall!
Jorge Costa as a signing was the one that really fired my imagination and love for Charlton as a kid. I was 11 when he signed, had witnessed one promotion to the Premier League and one relegation and was used to Charlton having mostly British players who they signed for cheap. Charlton had a ceiling and you just had to watch the teams above throw more money around than we could get near. We were struggling along, 3 wins in 14 games and then this absolutely ridiculous transfer happened. Porto's captain, Champions League player. the kind of colossus we apparently shouldn't ever have been able to get near, but we took advantage of a falling out with his manager to get him for 6 months before he went back home and won the Champions League two seasons later. To 11 year old me this was like something out of a movie script, a struggling workmanlike team gets in a superstar who is far too good for that side but falls in love with them anyway and helps them secure another season in the top flight. I still look back on it as something I'd engineer in Championship Manager as a kid and it gave me a real unshakeable belief that Charlton were special, even if they weren't very good and even if people who didn't follow them couldn't see it. I honestly think that ever since then I've believed even with all the evidence pointing against it that Charlton can pull something out and succeed even with everything against them. That feeling and that certainty that period gave me as a kid has probably pulled me through all the miserable Duchatelet, Southall, injunction misery we've had to deal with for more than half the time I've spent supporting the club. You need those sorts of moments as a child to cement your love for your club, especially when it's a tiny one that no-one else you know supports and I think that was my one.
Fun fact: I once wrote a song about JC which was published in the VOTV fanzine to the tune of Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" (renamed "Lucky Star Jorge Costa"). Would love it if someone could locate it and post the lyrics here.
That is awful news. Far too young. It isn't often that you think of defenders as amongst your most memorable Charlton players but Jorge was a titanic exception. A brilliant player and by all accounts a really great guy too. RIP and thoughts with his family and friends.
Fantastic player who seemed to not only mesmerise his fans, his colleagues and the opposition but also the officials who seemed incapable of seeing fouls right under their noses.
At the time we had the back line that lent itself to Young Fish Costa Fortune.
And if course there was the book tracking our progress from Selhurst to the the Premier, I believe by Mick Collins, " From Portacabins to Porto Captains".
Far too young, no one messed with the tank, a solid CB who you didn’t mess with and you’d love to have in the trenches with you, RIP Jorge and thanks for the those great memories 🙏.
Fun fact: I once wrote a song about JC which was published in the VOTV fanzine to the tune of Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" (renamed "Lucky Star Jorge Costa"). Would love it if someone could locate it and post the lyrics here.
Probably best not to, poor Jorge has suffered enough!
What is there to say that hasn't already been said - there aren't many half season loanees that make such an impression. He wasn't the world's fastest but he didn't need to be as his reading of the game was so good, and he had an almost supernatural ability to know where the ref wasn't looking so he could get away with some very professional fouls.
Terrible news, he really was one of the best players I've seen in a Charlton shirt in my 50+ years of supporting the club.
I met a portugese tour guide in the summer and we got chatting over lunch about football, as you do, and it turns out he was a massive Porto fan. Soon as I mentioned Costa's name his eye lit up and we exchanged our stories of the man. He knew little about his time with us but when I mentioned his first tackle against Chelsea, he smiled and said "Jorge never ever shirked a challenge" and "He was a great player and leader but not the greatest manager/administrator but some men do their talking best on the pitch" RIP Jorge
The fact that he was only here for a season but is so highly thought of is testament to the player and the human being he was. Hope the club put out a special tribute to him on Saturday.
RIP Tank I will always remember you so fondly wearing the red of Charlton and your achievement afterwards. Thoughts go out to both your family and friends.
Legend of a player. I was a mascot away at Spurs that season .... he signed my shirt and I have a picture with him. Still have the shirt (which almost now fits my daughter).
Comments
One of my favourite players ever to wear the shirt. And I was eight when he played for us, so did I give much of a toss about centre backs? Not until him. The tackle he made out of nowhere when, I think it was Eidur Gudjohnsen was through on goal is well in the memory.
RIP big man. Forever one of us.
A true legend and I believe he really did hate Milwall!
53 way too young.
RIP Big man 😞
RIP big man. Gutted by this news.
Not sure how this could get organised, but is there any way a reef or some flowers could get sent from CL or a Charlton fans group?
the width of the pitch! What a player! RIP
The fact that he was only here for a season but is so highly thought of is testament to the player and the human being he was. Hope the club put out a special tribute to him on Saturday.
RIP Tank I will always remember you so fondly wearing the red of Charlton and your achievement afterwards. Thoughts go out to both your family and friends.
RIP Jorge
RIP