Oliver Sarkic was enjoying his breakfast in Mauritius, in the midst of his honeymoon, when he received a phone call.
It was his father, Bojan. With a trembling voice, he delivered the heartbreaking news that Oliver’s twin brother, Matija — the goalkeeper for Montenegro and Millwall — had collapsed.
“I was taken aback, but then he uttered the words ‘and he died’,” Oliver recounted. “I was in disbelief. It was devastating.”
Matija was only 26 years old. The exact cause of his death is still unknown, but the family has been informed that he experienced sudden heart failure. He had been on vacation with his partner Phoebe, former Aston Villa player Oscar Borg, and his girlfriend.
Matija passed away just ten days after being named man of the match for Montenegro in a friendly against Belgium and merely a week after serving as the best man at Oliver’s wedding, alongside their older brother Danilo and a childhood friend.
“That was the final time I saw him alive,” Oliver shared with The Athletic. “It’s a bittersweet memory, but it’s an incredible one to hold onto.
“We were always together. There was no Matija without Oliver, and no Oliver without Matija. We were a package deal. He was a part of me. I’ll always cherish the beautiful memories, but I wish we could have created new ones like we did at the wedding.”
Matija, a thoughtful, dedicated, and immensely popular player for every team he played for, was edging closer to realizing his dream of playing in the Premier League after a successful season with Millwall in the Championship.
That dream was tragically snatched away, leaving his family and friends struggling to cope with the loss of a young man in the prime of his life.
After completing the season with Millwall, Matija traveled to Turkey and then Spain with Andy Marshall, his goalkeeper coach since his Aston Villa days, in preparation for Montenegro’s friendly match against Belgium on June 5.
For Matija, who spent a significant part of his childhood in Belgium, this game held additional significance as it provided him with the opportunity to reunite with old friends from Anderlecht’s academy, including Wout Faes and Orel Mangala.
The additional training paid off, as he made a series of exceptional saves and was awarded man of the match in Montenegro’s 2-0 loss. As Bojan tells The Athletic, “It was the best game of his life.”
Sarkic makes one of several fine saves in his last match, for Montenegro against Belgium (Peter De Voecht / Photo News via Getty Images)
Tragically, this turned out to be his final match.
Matija was given permission to skip Montenegro’s next game, a friendly against Georgia, to attend Oliver’s wedding in Guimaraes, northern Portugal, on June 8.
Following the wedding, he returned to the UK before heading to Montenegro for a brief holiday. After arriving in the country on Friday, he spent a day at the beach and proudly showed off his newly furnished apartment in Budva on the Adriatic coast.
However, in the early hours of Saturday morning, Matija woke up feeling unwell and collapsed shortly thereafter. Borg’s girlfriend, a nurse, performed CPR until an ambulance arrived. Paramedics then attempted resuscitation, but unfortunately, were unsuccessful.
“It was an instantaneous death,” Bojan stated. “He did not suffer.”
Bojan received the news of his son’s passing at 6 am and it was his duty to inform Oliver. The newlyweds promptly cut short their honeymoon, flying back to Montenegro via Dubai and Albania to attend Matija’s funeral on Monday.
“The tradition here dictates that brothers place their sibling in the coffin,” Oliver explained. “So my brother and I, along with two morgue workers, picked up Matija and gently laid him in the casket. He appeared peaceful and was dressed in his national team attire.
“In the span of a week, we saw the same people (who attended the wedding). We went from the highest high to the lowest low.”
A memorial service was organized the next day by the Football Association of Montenegro, attended by the country’s president, where Oliver paid tribute.
“In my speech, I mentioned that I will forever remember him as he was last: a tall, handsome, intelligent man, a loving brother, and an extremely talented goalkeeper, hardworking and devoted.”
Matija was laid to rest alongside his grandparents, Beba and Alija, in the main cemetery in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro.
“They both had tremendous faith in him,” Bojan reflected. “My mother chose the name Matija, and my father was a footballer who always asserted that he would make it as a professional. Now he is with both of them.”
Matija, fluent in English, French, Dutch, and Montenegrin, was born in Grimsby and spent his early years in London before his father’s diplomatic work for the Montenegrin government relocated the family to Brussels when he was seven. His mother, Natalie, worked as a government official and British diplomat, and now runs a business combating disinformation in the media.
From a young age, football was his passion. Oliver recollects how he and Matija would commute across Brussels to school, carrying their books and football gear, and return home late after training.
Matija (right) and his twin brother Oliver at the Anderlecht academy in 2004 (Oliver Sarkic)
Originally a defender, Matija transitioned to goalkeeper by chance for his Sunday league team, Chelham, and soon discovered his calling. He modeled his game after Claudio Taffarel; at the age of 10, he would watch videos of the Brazilian goalkeeper, striving to absorb his techniques.
“It’s unusual for a 10-year-old to delve into such details, but that was him,” Bojan reminisced. “He became very professional, focusing on every aspect. He sought perfection.”
Matija returned to England after signing with Aston Villa in 2015, marking the start of a journey through the English football league system with stints at Wigan Athletic, Stratford Town, Havant & Waterlooville, as well as Livingston in Scotland.
He eventually joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020 before being loaned out to Shrewsbury Town, Birmingham City, and Stoke City. In July of the previous year, he secured a permanent deal with Millwall, finally finding a place he could call home.
Sarkic in action for Aston Villa in 2017 (Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images)
Teammates and managers recount that Matija was impeccably mannered, approachable to everyone, and remembered those who had supported him. Even when playing at a higher level, he remained in touch with people at Stratford.
He was a dedicated professional, striving to reach his peak. For instance, he invested time in perfecting a side-on volley from his hands that skimmed low through the air.
A standout for his vibrant personality, sense of humor, infectious energy, love of travel, and exquisite taste in coffee, Matija was so enthusiastic about coffee that he curated a coffee station at home, dubbing it the ‘Sarkic Lounge’.
“Everything he did exuded fun,” Bojan reminisced. “He approached everything with a smile. My mother, an actress, nicknamed Matija ‘Granny’s actor’ because he was always entertaining her, dancing, and engaging in silly antics.
“His favorite character was Borat, and on one occasion at Millwall, during a Christmas outing, they dressed him up as Borat. He staged a similar act at Birmingham, purchasing a plastic Lamborghini and showing up in the dressing room dressed like Troy Deeney, who owned a Lamborghini. It was always about having a bit of fun and bringing joy to people’s faces.”
At Wolves, he forged a close bond with club captain Max Kilman.
“We hit it off immediately,” Kilman said. “We shared similar values in life. He was genuinely humble, intensely hardworking, aimed to be the best, and rose through the football ranks. He was always seeking improvement.
“He went the extra mile to assist everyone — not just in football but in life. With his command of four languages, when the manager — Bruno Lage and Julen Lopetegui for a time — explained something, Mati would interpret for the French players in the squad.
“Everyone said the same thing: there was not a bad word to be said about him. We established a real connection. It’s truly heartbreaking.”
Kilman had planned to catch up with Matija in London this summer after returning from his vacation.
Goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne, who spent a season with Matija at Shrewsbury Town, recalled having breakfast every morning with Matija and taking turns buying smoked salmon.
Sarkic playing for Shrewsbury Town in 2020 (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
“The club did not provide it, but Mati had an arrangement with the physios: if he kept a clean sheet, they would fetch him a coffee,” Burgoyne, who also played for Wolves, mentioned.
“This led to smoked salmon, and we came to savor it. He always found superior quality smoked salmon, so when it was his turn, you knew you were in for a treat. He even introduced me to a Montenegro-style coffee, which was potent.”
Matija’s relentless pursuit of extracting every ounce of talent was evident to all who knew him. Oliver recounted how he had a chalkboard in his kitchen where he listed areas for improvement. “He would glance at it every day, fueling his determination to strive for his goals,” he remarked.
Upon commencing his career at Birmingham, Matija faced challenges. Rather than withdrawing or closing in on himself, he actively sought guidance from those around him.
“He made a few errors and he approached myself and Andy Marshall seeking advice,” said Neil Etheridge, another goalkeeper at Birmingham during that time. “It revealed his humility in seeking wisdom from those with more experience in the game. Subsequently, he rebounded and soon turned in man-of-the-match performances once again.
Managers found him to be the ideal player: keen to learn and able to pick up and retain information swiftly.
“He was exceedingly professional, respectful, and courteous; a manager’s dream,” remarked Lee Bowyer, his manager at Birmingham. “You knew that when he stepped onto the field, he would give his all. Everyone respected him. He was well-liked by all. He was one of the good ones.”
