A striker who enjoyed a successful career in the Premier League with both Manchester United and Everton has been praised for his generosity in a heart-warming anecdote
Louis Saha displayed remarkable kindness by gifting a physio a hefty envelope filled with £50 notes as a thank you for helping him through his injury woes. The French striker initially made waves in the Premier League with Fulham, before he went on to join Manchester United in 2004.
During his time at United, he clinched two Premier League titles, the Champions League, and a League Cup under Sir Alex Ferguson‘s stewardship, bagging 42 goals across 124 matches over four years. Injuries, however, saw Saha fall out of favour, prompting his move from Old Trafford to Everton in 2008.
Despite ongoing fitness battles, he still managed to score a commendable 35 goals in 115 games for the Toffees from 2008 to 2012. Saha’s relationship with Everton’s medical staff was notably positive, especially with ex-club physio Mick Rathbone.
Rathbone, once dubbed the ‘best signing ever’ by David Moyes, recounted a touching story about Saha’s generous act after signing a new contract deal at Goodison Park in 2010.
“We were excited about working with Louis despite his injury-prone reputation,” the former Preston medic wrote in his book, The Smell of Football. “In his first season at the club, we were extremely careful with him, in terms of not pushing him too hard.
“We quickly gained his trust because he intimated that at all his previous clubs, he felt this had not necessarily been the case. By his second season we had developed a relationship that allowed us to push him harder.
“In those two seasons, Louis played nearly 70 games and scored more than 20 goals for Everton, despite being injured and out for six weeks when he first came to us from Manchester United.”
Rathbone added: “When Louis signed his new contract in February 2010, Bill Ellaby, the player liaison officer, handed me an envelope. He explained it was a thank you from Louis. I was touched he had taken the trouble to thank me in writing. I opened the envelope thinking, ‘F*** me, this is a thick letter.'”.
“But it wasn’t a letter; it was an envelope stuffed with £50 notes. That is the type of gratitude I prefer. After all, let’s face it, talk is cheap. Apparently, he rewarded every member of the medical staff in the same way. I think he respected us for the care and time we gave him. It was a magnificent gesture from a great guy.”
Saha may no longer be on the football pitch, but he’s certainly not short of cash these days, with a net worth that dwarfs even that of Cristiano Ronaldo, his ex-teammate at United. Since retiring in 2013 at 35, the former France international has dived into the business world with impressive results.
His enterprise ‘AxisStars’, co-founded with Kate Hamer, is now said to be valued at an eye-watering £4.3billion. The firm seeks to forge links between ‘professional athletes and entertainers, their peers and trusted partners’.
The business empire of Saha towers over Ronaldo’s hefty £600m fortune, being more than seven times larger. Saha, alongside former marketer Hamer and tech guru Patrice Arnera, has seen his venture flourish.
With over 550 ex-sports stars linked to the company, Saha admits that his enterprise, AxisStars, has eclipsed his achievements on the pitch. “I still get asked for advice by different people on a daily basis,” he told The Guardian.
“For instance, my agent called me to say he had a talented French footballer who he wants to bring to England, and asked me for advice on how to create a tailor-made training programme. I put him in touch with people I used to work with.
“This kind of player could join Axis as he can then search for a personal coach in his region. It is a hard process but it’s so rewarding, because if I can help 100,000 people, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”
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