Who is Emiliano Sala? Cardiff's 15 million pound signature ahead of Neymar & Cavani in France

Last week, Cardiff City signed the signing of Argentine striker Emiliano Sala of Nantes for a record amount of £ 15 million.

Fears, however, grow over the safety of the 28-year-old who followed the disappearance of a plane en route between Nantes and Cardiff on Monday night.

It was confirmed that a light aircraft had disappeared Monday night over the Channel, with two people on board.

The rescue teams struggled to search the waters north of Alderney, but the stronger winds and the increasingly bad conditions of the sea forced them to postpone their hunt. Tuesday morning at 8 am, the search resumed.

French media reported that Sala was on the plane and had been driven to the airport by his former teammate in Nantes, Nicolas Pallois. None of these reports have, however, been officially confirmed.

Talk to TalkSportMehmet Dalman, President of Cardiff City, confirmed that fears for the safety of the player grew: "We are very concerned about the latest news that a light aircraft lost contact over the English Channel last night. We are waiting for confirmation before we can say more. We are very worried about the safety of Emiliano Sala. "

The goals, of course, are mainly the reason why Cardiff was willing to spend record fees for the player. Sala is a fit man in Nantes for this term, having been so close to settling in Galatasaray in the summer.

He was then in disgrace with former boss Miguel Cardoso, who wanted his team to play a technical football mark, but once Argentina found itself face to face, the Portuguese were forced to reevaluate his position.

Sala's goals were not enough to save the coaching position, but when he completed his transfer to England, he found himself alone in third place in the scorers' standings of Ligue 1 with 12 points to his credit, in front of the duo of Paris Saint-Germain Edinson Cavani and Neymar. Indeed, the only players better off than him were Kylian Mbappe, who led 14 times, and Nicolas Pepe, who has been linked to countless great teams since the start of the season.

He is not an attacker as glamorous as one of the men who are waiting for him. He looks dishonest and clumsy, not particularly technically capable, though he compensates for that with a tremendous spirit and determination.

"Frankly, I am someone who is honest and I do not mind at all," he said earlier this session.

"I have my style, it's my nature, I'm not going to change, I'm Argentinian!

"Being on the field, giving everything to myself and maybe scoring a goal, and seeing a friend or family member happy in the stands, that's what makes me happy."

His best work is done in the penalty area where he is the vanguard of the offensive line of Nantes and is distinguished by his work particularly vigorous in the air.

Despite the relatively modest means of his team, he was the recipient of 12 big chances this season, according to Opta, and scored eight.

Put in context, only five players in the league have been able to position themselves for more opportunities in gold. Its conversion percentage, which stood at 66.67%, was sixth in Ligue 1 in terms of players with at least five goals. and was higher at that time than Lionel Messi (64.29%), Harry Kane (52.94%), Cristiano Ronaldo (50%) and Mbappe (50%).

"I read a sentence a few days ago:" Men can lie but not the numbers, "he explained earlier this season, clearly satisfied with his form but determined to remain humble and faithful what he sees as his roots. "Even though football sees me, I'm just a guy doing his best.

"Some people have told me to keep my efforts and save my efforts, but I will continue to do the same and try to be as effective. I do not want to change. "

Although a regular striker in the past, his form this season has been elevated to levels never before achieved. Indeed, in each of the previous two campaigns, he scored 12 goals – exactly the score that he got in Nantes.

He entrusted this improvement to head coach Vahid Halilhodzic.

"We speak the same language," said the striker, who has spent the last eight years in France after arriving in the youth teams of Bordeaux. "He was an excellent forward with impressive stats and he gave me directions.

"With him, we play more directly, with a strong defensive block and high pressure to help us attack faster. It gives us more chances. "

Sala's entire professional career was spent in France before completing his move to Cardiff. His football education has been completed by Bordeaux, to which he has been directly badociated since 2010.

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Initially, he was loaned to the lower levels of the game, showing his prowess as a shooter in the 2012-13 season in third place Orleans, when he scored 18 goals in 37 outings and then a year later, Niort .

His rise to the top has been slow, however, with his reputation as an industry superior to his goals, although he is now close to 50 goals in Ligue 1.

Indeed, Nantes signed it in July 2015 for an amount of about 2 million euros and their patience with him is about to bear fruit, 18 months before the expiry of his contract.