Salvador Cabanas started 2010 with the world at his feet, little did he know that a night out would change his lifeforever.His beginningsCabanas was born on August 5, 1980 in Asuncion, Paraguay.Like most players, Chava had his first contact with football when he was a child. Little by little he developed his goalscoring skills and made his way into the professional game.At age 18, he secured a spot in Paraguayan club12 de Octubre. It was clear from the start that Cabanas had a bright future ahead.He appeared in 11 games in his debut season (1998/99) and netted four times. He left the club after his first season and joined Guarani, where despite playing 20 matches as an undisputed starter, he only scored seven goals.Cabanas returned to 12 de Octubre in 2000, and added eight goals to his tally before leaving his home country.He arrived in Chile a year later and joined Audax Italiano. It was with Tanos that he really showed what he was made of.Chava spent two years in theChilean Primera Division. In that period, he bagged 29 goals in 52 games. He secured the top scorer honors in the 2003 Torneo Apertura, with 18 goals to his name.Moreover, Cabanas caught the attention of Mexican club Chiapas.The Paraguayan debuted with Jaguares in August 2003. Despite his stellar pace withAudax Italiano, he couldn't keep the momentum going and only scored five times in the Apertura tournament.The following season, he went back to his old self and netted 15 goals in 20 appearances.In his three-year stint with Jaguares, he netted on 59occasions and was the top scorer of the 2006 Clausura tournament.But Chava helped Chiapas in a greater way. He was instrumental in consolidating Jaguares' football project.Former Mexico international and now football analyst for TV Azteca Luis Garcia Postigo told Bleacher Report: "Salvador Cabanas arrived in Mexico to play for Jaguares and it was quite a surprise, it ended being a very pleasant surprise actually."Beyond his individual skills, as a scorer, he was key in helping Jaguares become the team that finished first in the general table in 2006.His impact on a new franchise like Chiapas is something that needs to be recognized. Jaguares consolidated in great part due to Salvador's performance."Despite it all, America had already put their eyes on him. He joined Las Aguilas after he returned from the 2006 World Cup (he didn't play).On top of the worldCabanas became a star with America. He established himself as one of the most lethal strikers in Mexican football.The timing was perfect, according to Garcia: "He maximized his skills. In a lot of games, he made the difference on his own. It was a team of great names and individual efforts, but not very articulated, so Cabanas managed to hide the collective deficiencies. His abilities allowed America to win games."Chava netted nine times in the 2006 Clausura and helped America reach the 2007 Copa Libertadores.Once in the South American competition, his knack for goalscoring allowed him to top the scorers' table with 10 goals to his name. Meanwhile,in the local league he grabbed nine.But Cabanas was just warming up. In the second half of the year he appeared in the Apertura 2007 (nine goals), 2007 SuperLiga (one goal), 2007 Copa Sudamericana (four goals).Overall, he netted 36 times in 12 months, which was enough to secure theSouth American Footballer of the Year and the ParaguayanFootballer of the Year titles.For his performance in the 2008 Clausura, he received the Best Striker honors(in Spanish), as he netted six times and made two assists.He also bagged three goals in the InterLiga and kept the momentum going in the Copa Libertadores, where he scored eight times, again topping the scorers' table.Chava was in a fantastic moment in his career. He was driven on by his desire to succeed. Former America defender Rodrigo Inigo, one of the youngsters in the team, told Bleacher Report: "Something that always caught my attention was that he didn't like to lose. He was the kind of guy that got mad whenever we didn't win.He had a strong personality."In 2009, he proved to be better than ever, as he scored 25 times in the Liga MX, 13 in the Clausura tournament, the rest in the Apertura.Ricardo Pelaez, America sporting director and former Mexico international, believes Cabanas' key to success was his ability to adapt. He told Bleacher Report: "He adjusted quickly to the team, the coach and the situation. He did it in a very short period of time. He was very effective in his position."He was a very technical and complete footballer. He was the kind of striker who doesn't depend a lot on the team. He was able to create goal opportunities by himself, which combined with his forcefulness made of him a superb striker."Off the pitch he was quiet, but never too far from the new blood. Inigo remembered: "Once we were traveling to an InterLiga match and he came to tell me that I should take advantage of every opportunity I received. I was 21 years old so I felt really good about it."When I left on a loan for Queretaro, in December 2009, Chava told me: 'fight, give it all and you'll come back and succeed here.'"For all his success at club level, the national team hadn't been his strong suit. Other footballers like Jose Saturnino Cardozo were in command of Paraguay's attack. But from 2007 to 2009, Chava finally made a difference with Los Guaranies.He helped his country in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers by scoring six goals. Eventually Paraguay qualified for the tournament.The bullet that stopped a careerCabanas picked up where he left at club level, and in the 2010 Bicentenario tournament, he scored a brace in the inaugural game against San Luis.Jesus Ramirez, then-America coach, remembers Salvador as a hardworking and respectful footballer, who didn't letanythingstand in his way. He told Bleacher Report: "Cabanas was a cornerstone in America. When I arrived in the club I was curious to know more about him, especially outside the pitch."I remember one day during the offseason, when we trained really hard, Chava was tired and upset because he was struggling with his knee, so I told him that he could rest a bit if he wanted. He immediately said 'no, I'll get to it.'"Matchday 2 would be the last time Cabanas would wear Las Aguilas' jersey. The club lost 2-0 to Monarcas; once back in Mexico City, he decided to take some time off with his wife and friends.Bar Bar was a place that actors, actresses, singers and footballers in Mexico frequented regularly. According to Spanish show business websiteQuien, the place opened in November 1984 and quickly becamethe go-toplace.As time went by, Bar Bar became famous amongperformers from other countries, likeDavid Copperfield and Madonna.But the place also attracted other types of people, Jose Juan "El JJ" Balderas being one.According to Edgar "La Barbie" Valdez Villarreal, an American-bornnarco, El JJ was his friend and he even helped him hide after he attacked Cabanas.On January 25, 2010 Cabanas and Balderas had a heated conversation in Bar Bar's restroom. El JJ'sbodyguard, Francisco "El Contador" Barreto, who was arrested long before his former boss was found by the authorities, reportedly told police what happened that night (via CNN):Balderas went to the bathroom, and a few minutes later, Barreto followed, the state-run Notimex news agency reported.Barreto found Balderas and Cabanas confronting each other in the bathroom, and says he saw Balderas shoot him, he told investigators, according to Notimex.Both men fled the scene immediately afterward.Cabanas was transported to a private hospital, where he spent two months fighting for his life.Ramirez told B/R: "It was a very complicated moment. The team was downbeat, as soon as we finished the training sessions we would go to the hospital to see how things were going."Matchday 3 was dreadful. America managed to win 1-0 over Indios, just one week after the attack."It was very, very tough for us. The team wasn't at its best, plus we felt obliged to win it for Chava, as some sort of homage," said Ramirez.The tournament went on and Las Aguilas needed someone to take Cabanas' place. Theresponsibilityfell on 20-year-old Antonio Lopez, who debuted just two weeks after the shooting.Lopez scored five times in the 2010 Bicentenario. Although he would have liked to make his first appearancein a different way, he never felt pressured. Lopez told B/R: "I always worked hard to start games. Unfortunately my opportunity arrived after a terrible incident, but I always tried to think of it as my chance to make a difference on the pitch, regardless of the way it came to me."I knew I had to give it all and take advantage of the playing time I was receiving to help the team."The aftermathInigo, who had recently left for Queretaro, recalled one day he visited Chava in hospital, the Paraguayan was talking about getting back on his feet as soon as possible because "he needed to get ready for a friendly before playing in the 2010 World Cup. I was sad, Cabanas didn't seem to be aware of the extent of his injury."He didn't play in South Africa. He ended his career without knowing what it felt like to represent one's country in the biggest football competition.Meanwhile, it took the Mexican authorities one year to capture the man who allegedly shot Cabanas: El JJ.When the media interviewed him, Balderas said he didn't do it, instead he blamed it on his bodyguard.Cabanas left Mexico two weeks after he was released from the hospital, and decided to continue his therapy in Argentina (in Spanish).After two months, he finally went back to his homeland, where he was treated as an outpatient in a local hospital. The bullet was never removed from his head.One year after being shot, Chava trained with Paraguayan club Libertad. He tried to go back to professional football with his old club, 12 de Octubre, then he tried withGeneral Caballero, all to no avail.Four years after his attack, he was living with his parents in Paraguay. He had lost everything and his job was no longer kicking a ball, butdelivering fresh bread.Last March, Tanabi Esporte Clube, from Brazil's fourth division, gave him a shot to get back on track, but he eventually withdrew (in Spanish).In August 2014, he told the media gathered in Cancun, Mexico that he didn't want to know anything about football because he could no longer play despite his urge to do so (in Spanish).That same week, his former clubsChiapasand America honored him.The legacyAfter five years from the attack that changed his life forever, Cabanas is fondly remembered. Ricardo Pelaez (America Sporting Director): "He is a player who left a deep mark in America. Obviously a striker always impresses, but Salvador was strong, consistent and a natural scorer. Id say that he was one of those players who arrive in Mexico and transcends."Luis Garcia (analyst): "The Paraguayan footballer is a firm guy, with a low profile, serious, sober who doesn't like the spotlight, but that knows how to work in a team."That's the kind of Paraguayans that arrive in Mexican football, Cabanas was a player that always competed, was respectful and had the right profile to succeed."Jesus Ramirez (coach): "He was a strong player on the pitch. He had a strong personality. You have to be strong to survive a bullet in the head."Antonio Lopez (teammate): "Salvador was different from the rest. He always had the answer on his feet. He just needed a little bit of space to make the difference on the pitch."You could trust him. You knew that if you passed him the ball he would score. He was very skillful, especially inside the box."Rodrigo Inigo (teammate): "He was a really nice guy. Somehow he trusted me, he was always therewatching. Chava has a strongpersonality, that, Ican tell you. He was definitivelya crack."All stats appear courtesy of ESPN FC, MedioTiempo.com, Soccerway and FoxSports, unless otherwise noted.Follow @ karlitsv
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