Wolves are deeply saddened by the passing of beloved former goalkeeper Matija Sarkic at the young age of 26.
Sarkic spent three seasons at Molineux having signed from Aston Villa in July 2020 and was a popular member of the Old Gold squad, before moving to Championship outfit Millwall 12 months ago.
During his time at Wolves, Sarkic represented the under-21s as well as the first-team, making three senior appearances during the 2022/23 season. During the first half of the campaign, the Montenegrin was understudy to Jose Sa, turning out between the sticks in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs, who helped bring Sarkic to the club when he was in a previous role, said: “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.
“He was a wonderful goalkeeper, but as a person – first and foremost – he was loved by everyone. Mati was such a popular guy around the club and always had a smile on his face. He worked hard, and he was so personable, so polite and friendly to every member of staff at Compton.
“He was unbelievably humble and treated everyone how he would want to be treated himself. He was so friendly, would talk to anyone, and then when he did his work, he took it extremely seriously. He was the perfect pro.
“As a goalkeeper, he was doing exactly what we expected him to do. He moved on to Millwall last summer and was showing just how good he was again. We had no doubt that he would have ended up in the Premier League.
“But for everybody who knew him really well, it’s such sad news to hear and it’s hard to accept that he’s no longer with us.
“On behalf of the club, I’d like to offer our condolences to Mati’s wonderful family and his girlfriend, who all have our support at this difficult time.”
We are truly heartbroken by today’s tragic news.
— Wolves (@Wolves) June 15, 2024
Matija was someone who had time for anybody at the football club, no matter who they were.
He was smart, bright, warm and funny, and gave everything to his profession and the people around him.
A teammate, a colleague and a… pic.twitter.com/8qe2JF53YT
Born in Grimsby to a Montenegrin father and British mother, Sarkic was a regular in the senior Montenegro squad and earned six of his nine international caps while a Wolves player, having made his debut in a 2-0 win over Belarus in late 2019.
After first arriving at the club from Villa, the keeper gained first-team experience with loan spells at Shrewsbury Town and Birmingham City, where he played a combined 52 times across the then-League One and the Championship sides.
He returned to Wolves in the May of 2022, where he helped James Collins’ under-21 side into Premier League 2 Division 1 via the play-offs. Sarkic played a key role in the promotion, saving a crucial penalty in the semi-final win over Norwich City at Molineux, before keeping a clean sheet in the final against Stoke City.
Sarkic began the next season as backup and provided competition to first-choice stopper Sa, making his senior debut at Molineux in August 2022 as Wolves overcame Preston North End in the Carabao Cup second round.
A regular on the bench in the Premier League in 2022/23, he was given his second Wolves start in the subsequent round of the competition as he kept a clean sheet in the Old Gold’s victory over fellow top flight side Leeds United.
Following the 2022 World Cup, Sarkic made his third and final senior appearance for the club away at Anfield in the infamous FA Cup third round tie against Liverpool, which saw Wolves held to a 2-2 draw.
Sarkic had the opportunity to continue his development on loan once again in January 2023, as he joined Stoke for the remainder of the season. He quickly became first choice keeper at the Bet365 Stadium, but an injury he suffered against Sunderland in early March kept him out of action until the final day of the campaign.
Last summer, with his chances to become number one at Wolves limited, Sarkic made a permanent move away from Molineux to join Millwall, where he went on to play 32 times in league and cup.
Sarkic sadly passed away on the morning of Saturday 15th June in Budva, having returned to Montenegro for international duty, with his final appearance being in last Wednesday’s 2-0 friendly defeat to Belgium.
The thoughts of everyone at Wolves are with Matija’s family and friends at this devastating time.
