Louis Saha

Metz

Saha began his football career at Soisy-Andilly-Margency in the commune of Soisy-sous-Montmorency before he joined Clairefontaine. He later moved to Metz at the age of 15 and then signed his first professional contract with the club at 17. Saha progressed to the senior team in 1997. Saha made his Metz debut on 8 August 1997, coming on as a late substitute against Bordeaux and scored the club's fourth goal of the game, in a 4–1 win. This was his only goal of the season, as Metz finished second place in the league behind Lens by goal difference. Overall, he made 25 appearances in all competitions. The 1998–99 season saw Saha lose first team opportunities, as he only made six appearances in all competitions. Saha went on loan to Newcastle United in January 1999, scoring once against Coventry City and playing in a total of 11 league games. He also scored in Newcastle's run to the 1999 FA Cup Final with the only goal in the fifth round clash against Blackburn Rovers; however, he was left out of the cup final squad entirely by manager Ruud Gullit. He later reflected his time at Newcastle United, saying it made him acknowledge how hard he has to work as a footballer and gaining confidence. At the conclusion of the 1998–99 season, Saha returned to Metz, where he made an impact, scoring seven goals for the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup, against MŠK Žilina, Lokeren, Polonia Warsaw and West Ham United. Saha's first goal for the club came on 7 August 1999, winning 3–0 against…

Saha represented France at various youth levels and scored the winning goal in the 1997 UEFA European Under-18 Championship against Portugal. Saha said he wanted to play for France and put his name in the short–list to be called up to the national squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup but due to his lack of form during the 2001–02 season, Saha acknowledged that he would be unlikely to be in the squad for the tournament, which turned out to be true. It was not until 2004 that Saha finally earned his first full cap, marking his debut with a goal in a 2–0 victory over Belgium on 18 February. That summer he was also selected for the UEFA Euro 2004 squad. Saha then scored his second goal for France, scoring the third goal of the game in a 4–0 win against Andorra on 28 May 2004. Having appeared in the first two matches as an unused substitute in the group stage, he made his first appearance of the tournament against Switzerland, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute, and set up a goal for Thierry Henry to score the national team's second goal of the game, winning 3–1. However, Saha played 18 minutes, having come on as a 72nd-minute substitute, as France lost 1–0 against Greece in the quarter–finals, eliminating the national side from the competition. Two years later, Saha was called up to the national team squad for the FIFA World Cup, earning his first call-up in almost a year. He made his first appearance for the national side in almost a year, starting a match against Denmark on 31…

On 8 August 2013, his 35th birthday, Saha announced his retirement from professional football via Twitter. Saha joined other retired players at a testimonial match for his former Spurs teammate Ledley King on 12 May 2014. Coming on as a second-half substitute, he scored a hat-trick against a line-up of current Tottenham players. Three years later on 2 September 2017, he once again joined other retired players for a charity match against Barcelona that Manchester United won 3–0.

Following his retirement from professional football, Saha created a private network for pro athletes and entertainers called AxisStars. In December 2015, Saha said he would be suing a UK bank after it was revealed that a botched investment scheme resulted in him losing "around six figures." He also published his first book titled Thinking Inside the Box?.

Saha was born in Paris. His parents were born on the island of Guadeloupe (a department of France), where his grandparents remain to this day. He has a younger sister and younger brother. Saha also revealed he and his siblings were brought up from a strict Caribbean culture. His father worked as an aircraft mechanic and his mother worked as a nurse. Growing up in Paris, Saha said his family had little money, leading him to "never take anything for granted", In return, he bought his parents a house in the West Indies, and covered his parents' debt. Saha revealed that his father tried to make him balance his football with the rest of his education, but nevertheless, push him to make sure he "got enough education away from football" and supported him "all the way in helping him mature as a footballer and as a man".