Sporting and Portugal's Fernando Mendes mourned

Former Sporting CP captain and Portugal midfielder Fernando Mendes has died at the age of 78.

Mendes captained Sporting to their only success in a major UEFA club competition, as they beat MTK Budapest 1-0 in a replay in Antwerp to win the 1963/64 European Cup Winners' Cup. The midfielder represented Sporting from 1956-68, winning three league titles and a Portuguese Cup.

He was capped 21 times for Portugal over the course of six years, but his international career was ended prematurely when he suffered a severe knee injury in a qualifier against Czechoslovakia en route to the 1966 FIFA World Cup finals. He was taken to the finals in England as appreciation for his contribution, and witnessed his nation's big breakthrough at the top level of world football, Portugal taking bronze medals.

Mendes led Sporting to the Portuguese title in 1979/80 as coach, and also served the club as an assistant coach, youth coach and caretaker boss in later years, most recently from 2000-01.

Fernando Gomes, Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) president
"It was with profound sadness that I heard the news of the death of Fernando Mendes, an important national team and Sporting player. He also was an important figure among Portuguese coaches."

Bruno de Carvalho, Sporting CP president
"We are mourning the leader on the pitch of the first Sporting team which ever won a European competition. He was a good man, who excelled as  leader of men."