Isabelle Dias, interpreter and recruiter for French L1 football club Olympique Lyonnais, poses during a photo session at the Olympique Lyonnais' training stadium in Decines-Charpieu near Lyon. Pic/AFP

On paper Isabelle Dias is Lyon's official translator but over her 18-year tenure at the Ligue 1 outfit her role has spread way beyond her multi-lingual skills -- she helps recruits from all over the world to settle in. French administration can be bewildering even for highly-paid sportsmen, but Dias' role consists of far more than helping them fill in paperwork -- she even organises activities for players' children and family outings. "I help them with all the documents, banking, taxes, finding housing, finding schools, places in maternity wards," says Dias. She speaks Portuguese, Spanish, German and English and when players arrive at Lyon in central France she herself gives them French classes. As a teenager she was a Lyon fan and went to games with her father even when they were in the second division. So taking a job with the club seemed a natural step. Over the years Dias' reputation for helping players settle in has given Lyon that little extra when trying to recruit players in both the men's and women's teams.