Emiliano Sala’s disappearance has had heartbreaking impact on his dog Nala

A heartbreaking photograph shows the impact Emiliano Sala’s disappearance has had on his dog, who is still waiting patiently for him to come home.

Mr Sala’s sister Romina shared a photo of the footballer’s faithful dog Nala on Facebook, after the plane carrying the 28-year-old and pilot David Ibbotson, 59, vanished over the English Channel.

The aircraft disappeared on January 21 as it flew from the French city of Nantes to Cardiff, where Mr Sala, 28, was due to start playing in the Premier League.

Earlier this week the plane wreckage was found on a seabed. A body was also discovered.

As investigators work to recover the body, a photo was shared to thousands to show the impact the footballer’s disappearance had had on his pet.

It showed a lonely looking black dog staring outside and was captioned: “Nala is waiting for you, too.”


The photo has been shared thousands of times since it was uploaded on February 2.

Authorities are now rushing to recover the body that was spotted in the seabed wreckage.

Mr Sala’s father have pressed investigators to recover the body as soon as possible.

The search team haven’t said if the body located by an underwater camera was Mr Sala or Mr Ibbotson, the only people on board.

Britain’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch says “we are attempting to (recover) the body. If we are successful, we will consider the feasibility of recovering the aircraft wreckage.”

In a statement, the AAIB cautioned that “strong tidal conditions mean we can only use the remotely operated vehicle for limited periods each day and this will mean that progress is slow.”

Mr Sala, from Argentina, was flying from France to join up with his new club, Premier League side Cardiff City, when the Piper PA-46 Malibu plane dropped off the radar north of Guernsey.

He had just transferred from French team Nantes the previous weekend, in a 17 million euro move, a record deal for the Welsh team.