Milwall plan heartwarming tribute to goalkeeper Matija Sarkic after player died age 26

Sarkic, who was only 26, passed away unexpectedly in Montenegro while he was with his partner, Phoebe. His death came just a year after the tragic death of former Lions owner John Berylson in a car accident.

The double tragedy has deeply affected the club, and Sarkic will be honored ahead of this weekend's Championship opener against Watford. His family and partner will be present at The Den, where a mural in his memory will be unveiled in the Cold Blow Lane stand.

Fans will also observe a minute's applause in his honor on the pitch. The club has announced that they will retire Sarkic's number 20 shirt and introduce a 'Matija Sarkic Save of the Year Award' as part of their end-of-season celebrations.

In addition, Millwall's players have requested that a memory tree be planted in front of the players' entrance at The Den, a place where Sarkic made a significant impact last season. Sarkic had joined Millwall from Wolves last summer but had been working with the Lions’ goalkeeping coach, Andy Marshall, since he was 17.

Marshall was the first at the club to receive the devastating news of Sarkic's death, which came from his father, Bojan. Recalling the moment to The Sun, Marshall said: “There are poignant moments in people’s lives when certain things happen and people remember. I was laying at home in bed and at exactly 6.57am my phone rang and I saw it was Bojan.

“I didn’t quite get to the phone in time to answer but text to ask him if everything was OK, because when someone calls you just before 7am you know something’s not right. He called straight back and as I picked the phone up, I knew Mati had died and that was tough. It was awful.

“I’ll forever remember the conversation, what he said to me, that Mati had died and that was very, very tough to hear. I had to take ten to 15 minutes to try to absorb it, which was impossible.

“Matija was like a son to me. I was close to his family, too. So when I found out this after all the years I have spent with him, it hit me like a juggernaut. I was extremely emotional for a long time after.”