Ugo Ehiogu's wife to start charity in name of former England international

The former England, Middlesbrough and Aston Villa defender died last week at the age of 44 after suffering a cardiac arrest

Ehiogu was U23 coach at Tottenham before his tragic passing (Getty)

The widow of Ugo Ehiogu has set up a fundraising page in his memory following his death on Friday.

The former England, Middlesbrough and Aston Villa defender died at the age of 44 after he collapsed at Tottenham's training centre on Thursday - where he was working as the club's under-23s coach - after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Gemma Ehiogu started up a page on JustGiving on April 22 with a notional target of £1,000 to set up a charity in her husband's name and, by 6pm on Monday evening, it had already surpassed that with a total of £11,150 in donations.

She posted her reasons for setting up the page on the website, saying: "We're raising £1,000 to help set up a charity that will give all children the opportunity to play football. In memory of Ugo Ehiogu #DoSomethingKind.

"Ugo's dream was to set up a charity that gives every child equal opportunity to access and play football. He had already put the wheels in motion. This fund will make his dream become a reality. We don't have a set target every donation will help. Thank you, In memory of Ugo Ehiogu #DoSomethingKind."

A final tweet from Ehiogu went viral after the news of his passing with people from across the world promoting £dosomethingkind - the hashtag was trending in Great Britain and the United States after it emerged Ehiogu had used in on March 29 to describe donating £10 to a homeless girl.