'Disappearance of a warrior': French media reacts as Emiliano Sala's plane goes missing

The 28-year-old's plane disappeared from radar over the English Channel on Monday evening with no trace yet found

Poignant images of Emiliano Sala in his yellow Nantes kit stared out from newsstands in the city on Wednesday morning as the search continued for the Argentinian striker whose plane went missing over the English Channel on Monday night.

Sports newspaper L’Équipe carried the front-page headline “THE DISAPPEARANCE OF A WARRIOR” alongside a full-page photograph of the tall and slender 28-year-old applauding supporters after a match.

Inside, the paper picked over the final messages sent by Sala to his friends on WhatsApp, in which he confessed his fears about the safety of the single-propeller plane that would carry him into possible oblivion. National daily Le Figaro said that although the tone of the messages had been light-hearted, subsequent events had rendered them “chilling”.

In a profile, L’Équipe said Sala had compensated for technical shortcomings in his game with an impeccable attitude, describing him as “a player with an atypical profile, but unanimously hailed for his human qualities: humility, work and a sense of combat”.

Regional newspaper Ouest France carried the story on its front page, describing Sala as “an ordinary man” with “an extraordinary destiny”.

Figures from across French football have paid tribute to Sala, who signed for Cardiff City from Nantes last week, and Wednesday’s newspapers featured moving testimonies from some of his former coaches.

Olivier Frapolli, who coached Sala for a season at third-tier Orléans after he joined the club on loan from Bordeaux, was quoted in L’Équipe. “Few people saw him succeeding in Ligue 1 and through hard work, he showed that he was a real Ligue 1 striker and even more than that this season,” Frapolli said. “This contract in England was a reward for him. And unfortunately, he won’t benefit from it. It’s a tragedy.”

Local paper Presse Océan lamented Sala’s “TRAGIC DESTINY” on its front page and said that “time had stopped” at Nantes’ La Jonèliere training centre on Tuesday as news of what had happened filtered through. One fan cited by the paper said: “It’s like we’ve lost a family member.”

The paper also featured a report from Carquefou, the town northeast of Nantes where Sala lived. The striker had visited his local Super U supermarket on Saturday to say goodbye to the staff.

L'Equipe's front page on Wednesday morning (L'Equipe) (LeEquipe)

“He was someone who was very discreet, but always kind,” supermarket worker Nathalie told Presse Océan. “It’s terrible.”

Nantes’ scheduled training session on Wednesday was cancelled and their French Cup match against third-tier L'Entente Sannois Saint-Gratien has been postponed from Wednesday until Sunday. The players are due to resume training on Thursday.