Emiliano Sala dies from head, torso trauma, report says

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Argentinian football player Emiliano Sala died from "head and trunk injuries" after the plane taking him to Cardiff from Nantes, France, crashed into the English Channel on Jan. 21, French media said late Monday.

French weekly news magazine L'Express cited Ian Parry -- a British coroner -- as saying Sala was identified by his fingerprints and that the injuries caused the death rather than drowning.

Born on Oct. 31, 1990 in Argentinian city Cululu near Santa Fe, Sala generally played as a striker.

Having Italian roots, Sala spent the majority of his professional career in France as he played for Bordeaux, US Orleans, FC Chamois Niort, SM Caen and lastly Nantes.

During his football career, Sala, 28, has played in 200 club matches, where he scored 73 goals in total.

Sala netted 48 goals in 133 matches for Nantes since July 2015.

This season Sala scored 12 goals in 19 French top-tier division appearances as he was on Cardiff City's radar.

English Premier League club Cardiff City signed him from Nantes on Jan. 19 for €17 million ($19.5 million).

On Jan. 21, Sala was on his way to join his new club Cardiff City after he signed the contract, however the ill-fated plane carrying him from Nantes to Cardiff vanished from radars near the Channel Islands.

Sala has been reported to have sent a message via voicemail to his father saying he was frightened the plane was about to break up.

According to media reports in Argentina, he said: "I’m here on a plane that looks like it’s about to fall apart, and I’m going to Cardiff."

The wreckage of a plane carrying Sala has been found by a private search boat on Feb. 3.

The body was recovered from the wreckage of the single-turbine airplane.

On Feb. 7, British police confirmed that body recovered from plane wreckage in the English Channel was of Sala.

Also on board the plane with Sala was David Ibbotson, the pilot, whose body has yet to be recovered.