Louis Laurent Saha (born 8 August 1978) is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker. Saha was capped 20 times for the France national team and scored four goals. Louis Saha was initially a student of the Clairefontaine football academy, before beginning his professional career at Metz then moving on loan to Newcastle United. Before the start of the 2000–01 season, Saha moved to Fulham where he established himself as first-choice striker, helping them to gain promotion to the Premier League in his first season with them.
His performances gained attraction from Manchester United, who eventually secured his signing for around £12.4 million midway through the 2003–04 season. Injuries plagued his Old Trafford career, however he enjoyed major success including winning the Premier League title twice, the UEFA Champions League in 2008, and the League Cup in 2006 where he was the top scorer in the competition and netted in the final. Despite Saha's injury woes, United star Wayne Rooney stated on Sky Sports that Saha was one of his favourite strike partners.
After four and a half years at United, Everton took him to Goodison Park, where he opened the scoring in the 2009 FA Cup Final after 25 seconds, setting the record for the fastest goal scored in FA Cup Final history.
Saha made his France debut in 2004, in a 2–0 victory over Belgium. He represented France at UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Saha was born in Paris. His parents were born on the island of Guadeloupe (a department of France), where his grandparents remain to this day. He has a younger sister and younger brother. Saha also revealed he and his siblings were brought up from a strict Caribbean culture.
His father worked as an aircraft mechanic and his mother worked as a nurse. Growing up in Paris, Saha said his family had little money, leading him to "never take anything for granted", In return, he bought his parents a house in the West Indies, and covered his parents' debt. Saha revealed that his father tried to make him balance his football with the rest of his education, but nevertheless, push him to make sure he "got enough education away from football" and supported him "all the way in helping him mature as a footballer and as a man".
Saha began his football career at Soisy-Andilly-Margency in the commune of Soisy-sous-Montmorency before he joined Clairefontaine. He later moved to Metz at the age of 15 and then signed his first professional contract with the club at 17. Saha progressed to the senior team in 1997. Saha made his Metz debut on 8 August 1997, coming on as a late substitute against Bordeaux and scored the club's fourth goal of the game, in a 4–1 win. This was his only goal of the season, as Metz finished second place in the league behind Lens by goal difference. Overall, he made 25 appearances in all competitions. The 1998–99 season saw Saha lose first team opportunities, as he only made six appearances in all competitions.
Saha went on loan to Newcastle United in January 1999, scoring once against Coventry City and playing in a total of 11 league games. He also scored in Newcastle's run to the 1999 FA Cup Final with the only goal in the fifth round clash against Blackburn Rovers; however, he was left out of the cup final squad entirely by manager Ruud Gullit. He later reflected his time at Newcastle United, saying it made him acknowledge how hard he has to work as a footballer and gaining confidence.
At the conclusion of the 1998–99 season, Saha returned to Metz, where he made an impact, scoring seven goals for the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup, against MŠK Žilina, Lokeren, Polonia Warsaw and West Ham United. Saha's first goal for the club came on 7 August 1999, winning 3–0 against Auxerre. Saha scored three more goals later in the 1999–2000, as he made 33 appearances and scoring 11 times in all competitions. Despite being in a goal scoring form, Saha revealed that the club wanted him to "take on a lot more defensive duties", something that made him consider quitting football. By the time Saha left the club at the close of the 1999–2000 season, he netted five goals in 47 matches for a two-year spell.
Saha returned to England, where he was signed by Fulham for £2.1 million in 2000. Upon joining the club, Manager Jean Tigana said: "Louis is a very good signing. I have known him since he was 17 and he has great ability. I am sure he will follow the success of his contemporaries Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka. I believe he will be a very good player in the First Division and has the right qualities to be a success in the Premiership".
Saha quickly made an impact on his Fulham debut, scoring his first goal of the season in a 2–0 win against Crewe Alexandra in the opening game of the season. This was followed up by scoring in a 3–1 win against Birmingham City. Since making his debut, Saha quickly established himself in the first team, becoming the club's first-choice striker and along with John Collins and Lee Clark. Their performances were described "world class" by the Evening Standard. He then scored eight goals in four matches in September 2000, scoring once against Nottingham Forest, braces against Northampton Town and Burnley, and a hat-trick against Barnsley. His goalscoring form continued with three goals in two matches against Grimsby Town on 25 November and Derby County on 29 November 2000. Saha scored two goals in two matches between in January 2001 against Norwich City and Watford. He then scored twice for the side in a 4–1 win against Tranmere Rovers on 30 March 2001. Saha scored three goals in two matches between in April 2001 against Portsmouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers. In the promotion-winning campaign of 2000–01 Saha scored 27 league goals to fire Fulham into the Premier League, making him the league top–scorer. At the conclusion of the 2000–01 season, he made 48 appearances and scored 32 times in all competitions. For his achievement, Saha was named PFA Team of the Year.
In the first two matches of the 2001–02 season, Saha scored three goals, against Manchester United and Sunderland. During his first month in the top flight he was named Premier League Player of the Month. Saha continued to regain his first team place as the club's first choice striker, forming a partnership with Barry Hayles throughout the 2001–02 season. Although Saha did score in the League Cup against Derby County on 10 October 2001, he went on a three-month spell without scoring in the league before scoring against Newcastle United, in a 3–1 victory on 17 November 2001. However, Saha's goal scoring form continued to dip, scoring only four more goals later in the 2001–02 season, including a brace against Chelsea. At the conclusion of the season, Saha had made 44 appearances and scored nine times in all competitions.
At the start of the 2002–03 season, Saha appeared in every match of the UEFA Intertoto Cup, scoring once against Egaleo in the third round on 20 July 2002. He played in both legs of the Intertoto Cup finals against Bologna, as they won 5–3 to win the tournament and qualify for the UEFA Cup. Saha scored his first league goal of the season, from a penalty, in a 4–1 win against Bolton Wanderers in the opening game of the season. However, he suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for the rest of 2002. Saha scored on his return on 5 January 2003, in a 3–1 win against Birmingham City in the third round of the FA Cup. However, his return was short-lived as he suffered another injury that saw him miss two matches. He returned to the first team on 1 February 2003, coming on as a 69th-minute substitute, in a 2–1 loss against Arsenal. He then scored his fourth goal of the season in a 3–0 win against West Bromwich Albion. Following his return, Saha managed to regain his first team place for the rest of the 2002–03 season, playing in the striker position. He scored three more goals later in the 2002–03 season, including scoring two goals in two matches in March 2003 against Sunderland and Southampton. As a result of his injuries he was less prolific in the 2002–03 season, scoring onlyseven goals in 28 appearances in all competitions.