Emiliano Sala: Diego Maradona, Kylian Mbappe lead tributes to late Cardiff striker
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Updated 08/02/2019 at 19:39 GMT
Tributes have been flooding in after a body recovered from the plane wreckage of Emiliano Sala's doomed flight was formally identified as the footballer.
Un homme se recueille devant un portrait d'Emiliano Sala
Image credit: Getty Images
The 28-year-old had been en route from Nantes in western France on January 21 to make his debut for Cardiff City when the plane he was travelling on disappeared. The single-engined Piper Malibu aircraft had crashed into the sea.
The wreckage was found on Sunday following a privately-funded underwater search, and Dorset Police have confirmed that the body recovered from the wreckage was that of Sala. Pilot David Ibbotson’s body is yet to be found.
Sala’s sister, Romina, said on Instragram: “Your soul will shine forever, thus illuminating my own existence.”
Messages have since poured in from footballers and clubs since the confirmation of the Argentine’s death, with Wayne Rooney, Kylian Mbappe, Diego Maradona and Sergio Aguero among those paying their respects.
Cardiff City, who had recently signed the Argentine for a club record £15m, said in a statement: "We offer our most heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the family of Emiliano.
"He and David will forever remain in our thoughts."
Other clubs and national teams also posted messages, with the Argentine Football Association writing on Twitter: "Profound pain over the death of Emiliano Sala. Our condolences to his family and loved ones."
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