A former Manchester United star refelcted on his decision to leave Old Trafford
Louis Saha and Manchester United teammates
A former Manchester United star reflected on his decision to leave Old Trafford(Image: Chris Coleman/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Louis Saha has achieved plenty of success since hanging up his boots but his final moments at Manchester United proved painful. Two of the striker’s former clubs are set to meet this weekend, having moved from Fulham to United in January 2004.
The France international was an instant hit for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, scoring seven in 12 league games for the rest of his debut season. He notched 42 goals in 124 appearances during his time at Old Trafford, which saw him win two Premier League titles.
Saha also celebrated the club clinching the dramatic Champions League final against Chelsea in 2008. However, the forward was not part of the matchday squad for the showdown in Moscow.
Being sidelined for the Champions League final, Saha felt that his time at United was up. The French forward had been suspended for the 2006 World Cup final and had once again missed out on one of the sport’s grandest stages.
In 2019, when discussing the Champions League final, Saha told FourFourTwo: "It was the worst. I'd worked really hard to come back from injury, and I'd also learned from my mistake at the World Cup.
"It took me four or five years to realise how painful it was, when I wrote my book, because when I finally tried to explain how it felt, I realised how much damage it did to my confidence. It was after missing that final that I talked to the manager and said, ‘I need to leave.’"
He added: "It became very religious for me when I missed the Champions League final as well [as the World Cup final]. I thought, ‘Why has God given me these platforms to perform, but then taken it away from me?’ It was the first time I ever cried about football. I couldn’t bear it – I was in pain for two or three weeks."
Louis Saha celebrates scoring for Manchester United
Louis Saha was an instant hit at Manchester United(Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
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Following his Champions League heartbreak, Saha sealed a move to Everton that summer. In a three-and-a-half-year stint with the Toffees, he scored 35 goals in 115 games, including an early opener in Everton’s FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea in 2009.
Reflecting on signing for Everton, Saha said: "It was the right move at the right moment for me. I loved Manchester United - I had a lot of injuries but the manager was always there for me. He taught me to be loyal and have respect. Those things remain within me today."
Spells at Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland and Lazio followed before Saha called time on his playing days in 2013. In retirement, the 47-year-old has amassed vast wealth through his company AxisStars.
Louis Saha of Manchester United
Saha scored five in 24 games during his final season at the club(Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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He co-founded the business with Katie Hamer and the firm, which facilitates connections between "professional athletes and entertainers, their peers and trusted partners," is believed to be linked to more than 500 former athletes. The Mirror has reported that, as CEO of AxisStars, Saha has a net worth of around £4.3billion.
A description of Saha on the AxisStars website reads: "Since hanging up his boots, Louis has moved into the world of business where he has used his experience to develop propositions to support athletes and other people in the public eye, in their careers."
Saha spent three-and-a-half years at Fulham before signing for United, with his 27 goals firing the west London side to Premier League promotion in 2001. He had scored 13 in 21 league games at the start of the 2003/04 campaign, prompting United to make their move.