My time at Man Utd was over after horrible talk with manager - now I'm a billionaire

 Louis Saha has enjoyed considerable success since retiring from football, but his final moments at Manchester United were agonising. Two of the striker's former clubs are poised to meet this weekend, having moved from Fulham to United in January 2004.

The France international made an immediate impact under Sir Alex Ferguson, finding the net seven times in 12 league outings during the remainder of his debut campaign. He bagged 42 goals across 124 appearances throughout his Old Trafford stint, helping secure two Premier League crowns.

Saha also witnessed the club's thrilling Champions League final triumph over Chelsea in 2008. However, the forward was absent from the matchday squad for the Moscow showpiece.

Missing out on the Champions League final left Saha convinced his United career was finished. The French striker had been suspended for the 2006 World Cup final and had once more been denied a place on football's biggest stage.

Speaking about the Champions League final to FourFourTwo in 2019, Saha said: "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.'"

He added: "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."

After his Champions League disappointment, Saha completed a switch to Everton that summer. During a three-and-a-half-year spell with the Toffees, 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 Everton transfer, Saha said: "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 Hotspur, Sunderland and Lazio followed before Saha hung up his boots in 2013. Since retiring, the 47-year-old has built substantial wealth through his company AxisStars.

He co-founded the enterprise with Katie Hamer and the firm, which enables connections between "professional athletes and entertainers, their peers and trusted partners," is believed to be associated with more than 500 former athletes. As CEO of AxisStars, Saha has reported a net worth of around £4.3billion.

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 enjoyed three-and-a-half seasons at Fulham before his United switch, with his 27 goals helping the west London outfit secure Premier League promotion in 2001. He had found the net 13 times in 21 league outings at the beginning of the 2003/04 season, prompting United to make their move.