Millwall boss Neil Harris pays tribute to Matija Sarkic after tragic passing at 26

Millwall boss Neil Harris has paid his respects to the family of Matija Sarkic after the 26-year-old passed away on Saturday.

The Lions confirmed the tragic news on Saturday morning in a statement, saying they were “completely devastated”.

Sarkic was number one for the South Londoners last season and made 33 appearances for the club after joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2023.

Millwall have opened an online book of condolences for Sarkic and a tribute area has been opened at The Den for fans to lay flowers and other memorabilia. 

“First thoughts have to go with Matija’s parents and his brothers,” said Harris.

“He was a wonderful son and a wonderful brother who was a very caring, good man.

“Getting the call at 7:00 am first thing on the weekend, you know it’s not going to be positive news. 

“But you could never imagine the devastation in the moment that you find out that such a good man at such a tender age has lost his life. 

“Words find it hard to explain how you feel.

“It makes it very emotional for me because I have a 22-year-old son myself. Matija is only a few years older, so anybody in life can relate to something like that.

“Devastating news for the family and our football club. 

“There is no surprise that when you read obituaries on social media and that people so close to him talk so fondly of him, they talk about his radiant smile, human nature and goodwill.

“I only worked with Matija for a three-month period. I was with him last Thursday at the training ground and he had a huge smile on his face about going to see the family in Montenegro that evening.

“He had a great summer. He performed so well for his nation against Belgium and had been to his brother’s wedding.

“As a character in the training ground, every day, win, lose or draw, he came in with a smile on his face.

“He wanted to be better. That was his thought process. People shouldn’t think of him as a laidback goalkeeper who was quite calm on the football pitch, he was very driven.

“He had high aspirations for himself to keep moving forward. He wanted to build his caps up for his country but also drag us forward. 

“I can’t praise him highly enough as a human being in the time I knew him, but also as a professional as well.

“It doesn’t always feel right to talk work in moments like this, but in Matija’s case, it does. 

“He loved the game and loved his job.”