agic plane crash; a stain on fotball's eputation'

When Kayley and I visited Nantes for the first time in December 2019, as the first anniversary of Sala's death approached, it was clear from conversations with his friends that he was initially unsure about the move to Cardiff메이저사이트

Marie-Jeanne Munos Castelleanos welcomed us into her cosy bungalow, plying us with coffee and chocolates and chatting away warmly.

Describing herself variously as a surrogate mother or mental coach to Sala, she showed us the many photographs and other mementoes of their friendship. She generously shared voice messages he'd sent her in which he alluded to reservations about the transfer.

"From the start of it all, he hadn't properly decided whether he was even going to Cardiff," Marie-Jeanne told us.

"His mum wanted him메이저토토사이트 to go, but he was worried because he was used to life in Nantes, he had his routine and all that.

"He'd be going to another country, where he didn't know the language. He was a bit worried about it."

Mercedes' statement to the inquest into her son's death also referred to him feeling under pressure about the move, which she said was pursued by the owner of Nantes, Waldemar Kita, for financial reasons "against the wishes of coaching staff and fans".

The transfer fee of £15m was a record for both Nantes and Cardiff.

Sala lived in the small town of Carquefou - a drive of 40 minutes or so outside Nantes. Locals were well used to seeing him as he went about his business; shopping in the supermarket, having a drink or meal in his favourite안전토토사이트 bar, getting a haircut or worshipping in the local church.

The picture that emerged during our visit was far removed from the typical image of a star footballer. Here was someone who spent much of his free time walking his rescue dog, Nala, or hanging out with hairdresser Jean-Philippe Roussel and his wife Lydie, who had become close friends.

Roussel says: "He knew that leaving Nantes could be a good career move, but was he in favour going to Cardiff? No… he was being pushed out, to be honest."

Nantes told the Transfer podcast series that Sala chose to leave of his own free will "after many great years" there.

Nantes supporter Louis Chene, who lives in the centre of Carquefou, would sometimes bump into Sala and chat to him about the club's fortunes. He recalls Sala going around the town saying goodbye to everyone when he knew he was leaving.

"He went down the street and at every little shop he knew, he went in," Chene says. "He wanted to say a personal goodbye to people."

Frederic Happe, a journalist with Agence France Presse who had followed Sala's career in France, says: "He really was the most likeable person you could imagine. He was one of the few players who asked you how you were when you came into the conference room: 'Hi chaps, how are you doing?' Small details, things players at a certain level tend to forget."

These small but telling details gave us a rare and invaluable insight into a life some would be quick to dismiss as메이저토토 privileged but which we came to realise was at the mercy of the whims of others; be it agents seeking new transfer targets, or football club owners seizing a chance to make money from their star striker.

The very last photograph Sala posted on his Instagram page - taken just hours before the cra