Matija Sarkic, who had recently played on loan for Stoke City during the 2022-23 season, sadly died at age 26 on Saturday 15 June.
The goalkeeper, who is of Montenegrin descent, collapsed in his apartment in the city of Budva, Montenegro, in the early hours of Saturday morning. His friends called the police and an ambulance. Sarkic was later pronounced dead at 6.30am Montenegrin time.
Sarkic, whose father is a Montenegrin diplomat, was born in Grimsby. He started his football career playing for the youth academy of Anderlecht in Belgium. He then signed a three-year contract with Aston Villa as part of their under-21 side.
He played for several teams on loan, including Wigan Athletic, Stratford Town, and Livingston. He then signed a contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers. During this time, he went out on loan to such teams as Shrewsbury Town, Birmingham City, and Stoke City, which he joined in 2023.
Sarkic was the first goalkeeper of choice for Stoke until he suffered an injury during a game against Sunderland in March of 2023.
Stoke was ready to sign Sarkic permanently in July 2023 but the deal later fell through.
Throughout his career, Sarkic had played for the Montenegrin international team, having last played for his country against Belgium on 5 June.
Experienced writer and journalist James McKean leads the daily editorial output at StaffsLive. To contact him, email news@staffslive.co.uk
