Emiliano Sala

Early career

Sala began playing football for San Martín de Progreso, where he remained until he was 15 years old. He then moved to San Francisco, Córdoba to play at football school Proyecto Crecer after being spotted by a scout. The club was directly affiliated with Spanish club RCD Mallorca and French side FC Girondins de Bordeaux, scouting local players in the area. After joining the club, he moved into a boarding house with other players from the club's youth system. He played six Preferente matches for Spanish club CD Soledad B between October 2007 and February 2008. In 2009, while living in Granada, Spain, he was recommended to Portuguese District side FC Crato by a fellow Argentinian footballer who played there and joined the Portuguese team. Sala played one official match for Crato, scoring twice, but suddenly decided to leave the club and return to Argentina, saying that his girlfriend was "in trouble" in his homeland.

Bordeaux

At the age of 20, during the 2010–11 season, Sala moved to Europe to sign for Bordeaux, the French partner club from Proyecto Crecer. After arriving in France, Sala briefly lived with the club's youth coach Marcelo Vada and his son, Sala's teammate, Valentín Vada, who were from the same region of Argentina. Having progressed through the club's reserve team, Sala grew frustrated with his lack of first-team playing time, and his agent offered him to several Italian clubs, including Sorrento, but this was rejected in each case.…

Sala stated that he modelled his style on his idol, former Argentine international forward Gabriel Batistuta. BBC Sport compared Sala to Jamie Vardy, describing him as "a player who likes wide spaces and being part of a team that has a strong counter-attacking style." A large and powerful striker, he was also recognised for his ability to hold the ball up and was described as possessing "reasonable" pace; he also drew praise in the media for his work-rate, tenacity, eye for goal, and finishing ability.

Emiliano Raúl Sala Taffarel was born in the town of Cululú, Santa Fe Province. He was born prematurely, with concerns that the respiratory issues might prevent him from being able to run. He held an Italian passport. His father worked as a truck driver, and the family later moved to Progreso, where Sala was raised. He was a fan of Independiente, and, growing up, studied footage of his favourite footballer, Argentine international Gabriel Batistuta. Sala's parents were separated at the time of his death, and his father died of a heart attack on 26 April 2019, three months later. Sala is survived by his mother and two younger siblings, sister Romina and brother Dario. He is described as having been "far removed from the typical image of a star footballer." In France, he settled in Carquefou, a small town outside of Nantes, and would spend his free time with friends made there or walking his rescue dog, Nala. A local fan recalled that Sala went around town to personally say goodbye to everyone when he was set to transfer to Cardiff. Having had a close relationship with his family and Argentine friends, in his hometown of Progreso, he continues to be affectionately known as "el Emi"; matching murals of him were commissioned from the same artist in Progreso and Carquefou.

Individual

UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: February 2015, October 2018 Nantes Team of the Decade: 2010–2019