Louis Saha has enjoyed considerable success in his post-playing career, but his final chapter at Manchester United ended on a sour note. This weekend sees two of the striker’s former clubs go head-to-head, having made the switch from Fulham to United back in January 2004.

The French international made an immediate impact under Sir Alex Ferguson, bagging seven goals in 12 league matches during the remainder of his debut campaign. Throughout his Old Trafford tenure, he found the net 42 times in 124 appearances, collecting two Premier League titles along the way.

Saha was also part of the group that secured the unforgettable Champions League final triumph over Chelsea in 2008. Yet the striker wasn’t included in the matchday squad for that historic encounter in Moscow.

Missing out on the final left Saha convinced that his United career had run its course. The French attacker had previously been ruled out of the 2006 World Cup final and was once more excluded from another of football’s most prestigious occasions.

Speaking about the Champions League final in 2019, Saha told FourFourTwo: “It was the worst. I’d worked really hard to come back from injury, and I’d also learned from my mistake at the World Cup.

“It took me four or five years to realise how painful it was, when I wrote my book, because when I finally tried to explain how it felt, I realised how much damage it did to my confidence. It was after missing that final that I talked to the manager and said, ‘I need to leave.’

“It became very religious for me when I missed the Champions League final as well [as the World Cup final]. I thought, ‘Why has God given me these platforms to perform, but then taken it away from me?’ It was the first time I ever cried about football. I couldn’t bear it – I was in pain for two or three weeks.”

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After his European devastation, Saha secured a transfer to Everton that summer. During a three-and-a-half-year spell with the Merseyside club, he netted 35 times in 115 appearances, including an early strike in Everton’s FA Cup final loss to Chelsea in 2009.

Looking back on his switch to Goodison Park, Saha recalled: “It was the right move at the right moment for me. I loved Manchester United – I had a lot of injuries but the manager was always there for me. He taught me to be loyal and have respect. Those things remain within me today.”

Stints at Tottenham, Sunderland and Lazio were had before Saha hung up his boots in 2013. Since retiring, the 47-year-old has built considerable wealth through his business venture, AxisStars.

He co-founded the company with Katie Hamer and the business, which connects “professional athletes and entertainers, their peers and trusted partners,” is thought to be associated with more than 500 former athletes. As chief executive of AxisStars, Saha possesses a net worth of approximately £4.3bn.

A profile of Saha on the AxisStars website states: “Since hanging up his boots, Louis has moved into the world of business where he has used his experience to develop propositions to support athletes and other people in the public eye, in their careers.”

Saha played for Fulham for three-and-a-half years before joining United, with his 27 goals helping the west London club secure Premier League promotion in 2001. He had netted 13 times in 21 league matches at the start of the 2003/04 season, prompting United to make their move.