Soccer-Spain's drumbeat falls silent as superfan Manolo 'el del Bombo' dies at 76

FILE PHOTO: Manuel Caceres Artesero, better known as Manolo 'El del Bombo' (The drum of Spain), one of Spain's national soccer team's supporters, plays his drum at a hotel in Puerto La Cruz June 6, 2011. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo

(Reuters) -Manuel Caceres, the drum-pounding Spanish football superfan known worldwide as "Manolo el del Bombo", died on Thursday at the age of 76, silencing the rhythmic heartbeat that had accompanied Spanish football for overfour decades.

With his trademark oversized Basque beret and red number 12 shirt, Caceres became as much a fixture at Spanish matches as the players themselves - a percussive national treasure whose relentless drumming provided La Roja's unofficial soundtrack.