Wolves lead tributes to Matija Sarkic after death

Wolverhampton Wanderers are among those paying tribute to the club's "beloved" former goalkeeper Matija Sarkic, who has died at the age of 26.

The Montenegro international spent three seasons at Molineux after signing from Aston Villa in 2020, before he left to join Millwall last year.

During his time at Wolves, Sarkic represented both the under-21s and the first team and played in both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs said he was "loved by everyone" and a "popular guy" who "always had a smile on his face".

Sarkic died on the morning of 15 June while in Budva, Montenegro, a Wolves spokesperson said.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the club said the keeper was "smart, bright, warm and funny" and would be "missed by all of us".

"The news has come as a massive shock to all of us. It’s unbelievably heartbreaking and everyone at Wolves is devastated to hear of Mati’s passing," added Hobbs.

"He was unbelievably humble and treated everyone how he would want to be treated himself," he said. "He was the perfect pro."

Born in Grimbsy, Sarkic was a regular in the senior Montenegro squad and earned six of his nine international caps while he was a Wolves player.

After arriving from Aston Villa, the keeper spent time on loan at clubs including Stratford Town, Shrewsbury Town, Birmingham City, and Stoke City, before joining Millwall last summer where he went on to play 32 times.

The keeper's former clubs joined tributes to the 26-year-old on Saturday, with Aston Villa, Birmingham City and Stratford Town all adding they were "deeply saddened" to hear of the keeper's death.

In a statement on its website, Stoke City said it was "shocked and deeply saddened" by the news.

Sarkic had joined the Potters on loan from Wolves in January 2023, going on to feature in eight matches.

"The thoughts and condolences of everyone connected with Stoke City are with Matija’s family and friends at this sad time," a club spokesperson added.

Shrewsbury Town, where Sarkic spent time on loan in 2020, said it was "devastated" to learn the keeper, who played 26 times for the club, had died.

A spokesperson added: "The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Shrewsbury Town are with Matija's family and friends at this incredibly sad time."