in form. On 13 July 2012, it was confirmed that Saha was released after his contract expired at the end of the season. Sunderland On 16 August 2012, Sunderland confirmed the signing of Saha on a one-year deal. He made his debut two days later, coming on as a substitute in a 0–0 draw with Arsenal. His contract was mutually terminated on transfer deadline day January 2013. During Saha's time at Sunderland, he made only 14 appearances and failed to score a single goal. Lazio On 6 February 2013, Saha signed a six-month contract with Italian club Lazio. The following day, he was presented by the club. Saha made his debut for Lazio, coming on as a substitute on 9 February 2013 in a match against Napoli. However, he found his playing time limited, mostly coming on as a substitute, as he went on to make six appearances for the club. Despite being keen to stay at the club beyond the 2012–13 season, Saha was released at the end of the short-term deal. Post-playing career On 8 August 2013, his 35th birthday, Saha announced his retirement from professional football via Twitter. Saha joined other retired players at a Testimonial match for his former Spurs teammate Ledley King on 12 May 2014. Coming on as a second-half substitute he scored a hat-trick against a line-up of current Tottenham players. Three years later on 2 September 2017, he once again joined other retired players for a charity match against Barcelona that Manchester United won 3–0. Following his retirement from professional football, Saha created a private network for pro athletes and entertainers called AxisStars. In December 2015, Saha said he would be suing a UK bank after it was revealed that a botched investment scheme resulted in him losing "around six figures." He also published his first book titled 'Thinking Inside the Box?. International career Saha represented France at various youth levels and scored the winning goal in the 1997 UEFA European Under-18 Championship against Portugal. Saha said he wanted to play for France and put his name in the short–list to be called up to the national squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup but due to his lack of form during the 2001–02 season, Saha acknowledged that he would be unlikely to be in the squad for the tournament, which turned out to be true. It was not until 2004 that