Sala
went missing aboard a piper malibu aircraft over the English Channel on
January 21 shortly after signing for Cardiff in a club-record,
£15million deal.
He was returning to South Wales having said his goodbyes to former teammates and staff at Nantes.
The
plane carrying Sala and pilot David Ibbotson, who are both missing
presumed dead, was discovered by a private underwater search team on
Sunday morning.
A body was later discovered by the wreckage, but it is yet to be identified.
Sala’s sister, Romina, posted the image on Facebook of rescued dog Nala staring in to the distance.
She captioned: “Nala is waiting for you, too.”
Sala had a very close relationship with his dog, with Nala reportedly one of the reasons the star returned to France.
It is understood the Argentinian had taken Nala to kennels and was in the process of moving her to Wales to live with him.
The initial search for Sala, carried out by Guernsey Police, was called off after four days.
A private team led by renowned shipwreck hunter David Mearns resumed the search and discovered the plane on Sunday.
He said: “Our job is done. This is an active investigation now in the hands of the AAIB, and they will be taking over as agreed.
“We’ve
had a long trip back and all I could think about was the families. This
is what they wanted us to do, we’ve achieved it and that’s the best we
could have hoped for – the best outcome.
“An
incredibly tragic and sad, and a devastating moment, but at least some
of their questions will be answered because of what we will be able to
do today.”
Cardiff played their first home game since Sala’s disappearance against Bournemouth on Saturday, running out 2-0 winners.
Boss Neil Warnock was clearly emotional after the game, shedding tears as he saluted the crowd following the full-time whistle.
And the former Sheffield United manager admitted the last couple of weeks have been his toughest time in football.
“The
crowd were amazing all the way around,” he said. “It has been a very
emotional 10 days. It just got to me in the end. It can’t be helped, can
it?
“I thought [the players] were amazing. I thought they were at Arsenal .
“Today wasn’t just about surviving, I thought we played well as well because they’re a decent team Bournemouth.”
