A heartbreaking picture of Sala's dog waiting for his return

Cardiff – Emiliano Sala's sister shared a heartbreaking image of her dog patiently waiting for her return home.

Romina Sala shared the photo on Facebook showing a rescue dog, Nala, looking away and the legends: "Nala is also waiting …?"

The 28-year-old Cardiff city striker was reported missing after the light aircraft he was in had disappeared on 21 January over the English Channel.

According to the Mirror, he had just signed a £ 15 million (£ 262.5 million) contract with the English premier club based in Wales.

He was returning to South Wales after bidding farewell to his former teammates and the staff of his French club in Nantes.

The plane carrying Sala and the pilot David Ibbotson, 59, missing and presumed dead, was discovered Sunday by a private submarine research team, nearly two weeks after his disappearance.

Sport24 had previously reported that a body had subsequently been discovered in the wreckage, but it has not yet been identified.

The aircraft, a Piper PA-46 Malibu, disappeared from the radar about 20 km north of Guernsey.

The local police interrupted the searches after a few days, stating that it was unlikely that anyone would be found alive yet.

But Sala's family has launched a crowdfunding campaign for private research.

A private team led by famed wrecker David Mearns resumed the research and discovered the plane.

"Our work is done. This is an active investigation currently in the hands of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB), which will take charge as agreed.

"We had a long trip back and all I could think of was the families. That's what they wanted us to do. We did it and it's the best we could hope for – the best result. "

Sala had a close relationship with her dog and Nala would have been one of the reasons why the star had returned to France.

It was understood that the Argentine had taken Nala to the kennel and was taking her to Wales to live with him.