Portuguese victim of Paris attack known for his love of Sporting

Manuel Colaço Dias, born in Mértola 63 years ago, was just finishing another day's work. Friday should have been a day of festivities in Paris, with Stade de France absolutely packed out for a friendly match against Germany.

A Portuguese citizen who headed for France looking for a better life, Manuel Colaço Dias took three people in his taxi to watch the match and was caught up in the barbaric attack on the French capital.

The population of the small town of Rosário, Almodôvar, where Manuel Dias would visit three times a year (where his wife was born), fondly reflect on a man known for his love of Sporting: "He was a friend of everybody. He came here to Rosário a lot and he would speak a lot. Ninety percent of the time it was about football, because he was a huge Sporting fan! The rest was about French culture. Everybody is in shock, he knew everybody. He was a brilliant person in everything he did", said José Fernandes, a friend from Rosário, in a television interview.

Sporting Clube de Portugal would like to offer our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of all of those caught up in the attack on Paris.