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El Hadji Ousseynou Diouf (; born 15 January 1981) is a Senegalese former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
. Throughout his career, Diouf played as a winger or a forward. Having started his professional football career in France with
Sochaux Sochaux () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Geography Sochaux lies east of Montbéliard, and southeast of Paris. Population Inhabitants are known as ''Sochaliens''. Economy S ...
, Rennes and
Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements ...
, Diouf finalised a move to
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
side
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
prior to the
2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...
for
Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
and went on to have a memorable tournament. He has also played in England's top flight for Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland and
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
before a stint in the Scottish Premier League with Rangers. In 2011, he joined Football League Championship side
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
but was released at the end of the 2011–12 season following the club's relegation. He then moved to
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
where he spent two seasons. During his nine-year international career, he scored 21 goals in 69 caps, and also garnered considerable notoriety for a series of controversial incidents.


Early life

Born in
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
, Senegal, Diouf came from a Serer background of the noble Diouf family.


Club career


Early career

Diouf started his career in France with Sochaux-Montbéliard. He made his debut appearance in a 2–1 win against
Bastia Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...
on 12 November 1998, before moving to Rennes for the 1999–2000 season. He moved to
Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements ...
the following season, spending two years at the Pas-de-Calais.


Liverpool

In early June 2002 he was reportedly linked with the English club
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
who had also just signed his club and international compatriot
Salif Diao Salif Alassane Diao (born 10 February 1977) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Diao moved from Senegal to France when he was seventeen and started his career at Monaco with whom he helped with ...
. The news initially broke following his Man of The Match performance in the opening
FIFA World Cup 2002 The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
1-0 group game vs France, who were the defending World and European Champions and one of the favourites to win the 2002 tournament. Lens initially denied that the signing had been made, but it was finally confirmed on 2 June with an estimated price tag of £10m. His continued impressive performances in the World Cup for Senegal, where they reached the quarter finals, led to much excitement prior to his arrival in England. Diouf was the striker that manager
Gérard Houllier Gérard Paul Francis Houllier (; 3 September 194714 December 2020) was a French professional football manager and player. Clubs he managed include Paris Saint-Germain, Lens and Liverpool, where he won the FA Cup, League Cup, FA Charity Shield, U ...
hoped would take the Premier League title from Arsenal, after Liverpool had finished in second place the previous season. Diouf won praises for his early games for Liverpool including his first game at
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
where he scored two goals, his first for the club, in a 3–0 win against
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
on 24 August 2002. He started the
2003 Football League Cup Final The 2003 Football League Cup Final was a association football, football match played between Liverpool F.C., Liverpool and Manchester United F.C., Manchester United on 2 March 2003 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. It was the final match of th ...
as Liverpool defeated Manchester United. Liverpool fans had to wait until March 2003 for Diouf's next goal for Liverpool. That occurred in a 2–0 win against Bolton Wanderers, in a game where he scored once and provided the assist for the second. The next game saw Diouf play in a
UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
match against Celtic at
Parkhead Parkhead ( sco, Pairkheid) is a district in the East End of Glasgow. Its name comes from a small weaving hamlet at the meeting place of the Great Eastern Road (now the Gallowgate and Tollcross Road) and Westmuir Street. Glasgow's Eastern Necrop ...
which finished 1–1. The game marked a watershed in his career when, in the 87th minute, he spat at a Celtic fan, causing crowd disturbances and Diouf to be interviewed by the
police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
. He received a two match ban and was fined two weeks wages with Liverpool making a donation of £60,000 to a
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
charity of Celtic's choice. Diouf failed to score for the remainder of the 2002–03 season or at all in the 2003–04 season which saw him pick up 13
yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the ...
and one red card which came on 7 January 2004 when he was sent-off in a 1–0 away win against
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
for fouling
Adrian Mutu Adrian Mutu (; born 8 January 1979) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is in charge of Liga I club Rapid București. During his playing career, he was deployed as a forward or an attacking midfielder. Mutu star ...
. By then he had become unpopular due to both his attitude and his lack of goals.
Jamie Carragher James Lee Duncan Carragher (; born 28 January 1978) is an English football pundit and former footballer who played as a defender for Premier League club Liverpool during a career which spanned 17 years. A one-club man, he was Liverpool's v ...
later said of him "''He has one of the worst strike rates of any forward in Liverpool history. He's the only no. 9 ever to go through a whole season without scoring, in fact he's probably the only no. 9 of any club to do that. He was always the last one to get picked in training''." At the beginning of the 2004–05 season he was loaned to Bolton Wanderers. At the end of the season-long loan — and after scoring a mere six goals in 80 appearances with only three in the league — Diouf left Liverpool signing permanently for Bolton in the summer of 2005.


Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers bought Diouf from Liverpool for an undisclosed fee at the start of the 2005–06 season, after they had loaned the player for the 2004–05 season. On 15 September 2005, Diouf scored Bolton's first ever goal in a European competition against Lokomotiv Plovdiv in a
UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
match at the
Reebok Stadium The University of Bolton Stadium is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C. in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England. Opening in 1997, it was named the Reebok Stadium, after club sponsors Reebok. In 2014, Bolton Wanderers signed a naming ri ...
. Bolton went on to win the game 2–1. He was largely successful at Bolton and became a fans' favourite due to his flair and direct running. Diouf confirmed in an interview with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
that he would be leaving Bolton at the end of the 2007–08 season and that his goal against Sunderland on 3 May marked his last appearance at the Reebok Stadium.


Sunderland

Diouf signed for Sunderland on 28 July 2008, after Bolton agreed to a transfer fee of £2.63m. He signed a four-year contract at the Stadium of Light after undergoing a medical. Diouf said that he was happy to join Sunderland. Then-manager Roy Keane stated he was happy that Diouf had joined Sunderland saying: "El Hadji has always been the kind of player opposition teams and supporters hate. That's why we're delighted to now have him in our squad." Diouf made a promising start for Sunderland but failed to score in any of his sixteen appearances.


Blackburn Rovers

Diouf signed for
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
for a £2 million fee on 30 January 2009, signing a three-and-half-year deal after just six months at the Stadium of Light, rejoining former Bolton manager
Sam Allardyce Samuel Allardyce (; born 19 October 1954), colloquially referred to as Big Sam, is an English football manager and former professional player. Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent mostly in the Football Lea ...
at the club. He was given the number 18 shirt and scored his first goal for the club against Fulham at
Craven Cottage Craven Cottage is a football ground in Fulham, West London, England, which has been the home of Fulham F.C. since 1896.According to the club'official website The ground's capacity is 22,384; the record attendance is 49,335, for a game against ...
on 11 March 2009 in a 2–1 win. During the summer transfer window, Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce revealed that Diouf was acquired for £1 million. Diouf scored his first home goal for Rovers at Ewood Park in the club's 3–1 victory over
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
on 12 September 2009. On 2 January 2010, he was sent off in a 3–1 defeat to Aston Villa in the third round of the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
. On 21 March 2010, Diouf scored the equalising goal against Chelsea in a 1–1 draw at Ewood Park which opened up the 2010 title race. He started the next two Premier League games against Birmingham and Burnley; he then made his fortieth appearance for the club at Fratton Park playing against bottom-of-the-league side
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
in a 0–0 draw on 3 April. By the end of the 2009–10 season, he had made 27 appearances, scoring three goals. On 20 August 2011, Blackburn manager Steve Kean confirmed that Diouf was not in his first-team plans, and that he expected him to leave before the end of the 2011–12 transfer window. On 31 August 2011, Blackburn terminated Diouf's contract by mutual consent. He had fallen out with manager Kean after returning late for pre-season training.


Loan to Rangers

On the last day of the 2011 January transfer window, Diouf joined Scottish Premier League champions Rangers on loan until the end of the 2010–11 season. He made his debut on 2 February, coming on as a 20th-minute substitute for injured teammate Lee McCulloch during a 1–0 win over Hearts at Ibrox. He made his first start for Rangers four days later in a 2–2 draw with Celtic in the
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...
in the
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
, netting the opening goal of the game with a header in the 20th minute. He then scored his second goal for Rangers on 13 March in a Scottish Premier League match with Kilmarnock, again scoring the first goal as Rangers won 2–1. In March 2011 Diouf was part of the Rangers team that won the
Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
after a 2–1 win over rivals Celtic. Diouf also collected an SPL winners medal as Rangers performed a comeback from two points behind Celtic to win the league by one point.


Doncaster Rovers

In October 2011, Diouf was handed a trial by
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
and their manager, Sam Allardyce, his manager at both Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers. On 28 October it was announced that Diouf would not be joining the club because of a lack of fitness and his bad reputation. Allardyce later confirmed that the depth of feeling amongst fans was taken into account in his decision not to sign the player. On 31 October 2011, Diouf signed for
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
on a three-month contract. He scored his first two goals for Doncaster against
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...
at
Portman Road Portman Road is a football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly internation ...
on 5 November 2011, earning Man of the Match honours and a 3–2 victory. He took the captain's armband in a goalless draw against
Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
but a training injury meant he was unable to play the following games. On 2 February 2012, Diouf signed a six-month deal with the view to an extra year. After Doncaster were relegated from The Championship, On 25 April 2012, Diouf was believed to have held talks with
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
with a view to signing him at the end of his Doncaster contract. Diouf claimed on 26 April he was very keen on moving to Leeds despite Leeds manager, Neil Warnock, having previously described him as "lower than a sewer rat" for an incident involving Jamie Mackie. On 19 July 2012, it was announced that Diouf would not face charges for assault after being arrested following an incident in a
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
nightclub in April.


Leeds United

On 9 August 2012, Diouf joined
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
on trial and started training with the first team. Diouf was confirmed to have signed a non-contract deal with Leeds United on 11 August. Diouf appeared as a substitute in the second half for Leeds against
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
in the League Cup on 11 August. Diouf made his league début for Leeds as a first-half substitute in their 1–0 victory against
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
. He made his first start for Leeds in their 2–1 victory over
Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
on 25 August. On 1 September, Diouf scored his first goal for Leeds in a 3–3 draw against his former club
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
. After the match it was announced that Diouf had signed a permanent contract at Leeds until January 2013. Diouf revealed that he had turned down more lucrative offers from elsewhere to become 'a legend' at Leeds by helping them reach the Premier League. Diouf put in an impressive performance for Leeds' 2–1 victory against Premiership side Everton on 25 September. After the match, manager Neil Warnock described Diouf as his 'matador' and that Diouf had made promises to stay at the club beyond his initial six-month contract. Diouf scored a brace against
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
to help earn Leeds a 3–2 victory on 29 September. Diouf was named captain against his old side Bolton Wanderers in a 2–2 draw on 2 October. Diouf scored his fourth goal of the season on 30 October in a 3–0 League Cup win against Premier League side
Southampton F.C. Southampton Football Club () is an English professional football club based in Southampton, Hampshire, which competes in the . Their home ground since 2001 has been St Mary's Stadium, before which they were based at The Dell. The club play i ...
to help Leeds advance to the quarter-finals of the competition. Diouf scored his milestone 5th goal of the season with a penalty to help earn Leeds a 2–2 draw against Brighton on 2 November. On 14 December 2012, Diouf signed a new 18-month deal at the club taking him until the end of the 2013–14 season. He scored his 7th goal of the season against Brighton on 27 April, but received his first red card as a Leeds player for celebrating it with a rude 'gesture' towards the Brighton fans. In May 2013, after Guinea club AS Kaloum claimed to have signed Diouf, Leeds United and Diouf strenuously dismissed the claim as 'complete rubbish,' stating that Diouf would be playing for Leeds in the 2013–14 season. Diouf was ruled out of the entire 2013–14 pre-season due to a shin infection. On 15 August 2013, the ''Yorkshire Evening Post'' reported that Diouf had been made available for transfer. In December 2013, it was revealed that Diouf had missed several Leeds fixtures and training sessions due to unspecified 'personal problems', and in order to attend the funerals of former mentor and
Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
coach Bruno Metsu and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela. Diouf made his first start for Leeds in several months on 28 January in a 1-1 draw against
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
. It was to be his final game for the club. On 16 May 2014, Diouf was released.


Sabah FA

In November 2014, Diouf signed a one-year contract with Malaysian side Sabah FA of the
Malaysia Premier League The Malaysia Premier League ( ms, Liga Premier) was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. The league replaced the former second-tier league, Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system. The Malaysia Premier Leag ...
, and was named team captain. However, Diouf soon found himself embroiled in controversy with his new club after comparing it unfavourably with rival club
Johor Darul Takzim II F.C. Johor Darul Ta'zim Football Club II (; ms, Kelab Bolasepak Johor Darul Ta'zim II) or simply JDT II is a Malaysian football club based in Johor Bahru, Johor. The club currently plays in the Malaysia Premier League, the second division professi ...
during an interview with Johor TV. Diouf was reported to have said that "he is willing to build a JDT academy on his own land in Senegal and JDT will get the monetary returns from the proceed of selling players to European countries. He also said that he is willing to play for JDT without any money because of his love for the state of
Johor Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares maritime ...
as well as being impressed by the vision and mission of the club". Diouf said this was due to the lack of vision and mission by Sabah Football Association (SAFA). Deeming this behaviour "unprofessional," Sabah stripped Diouf of the captaincy in July 2015.


International career

Diouf's international career started in April 2000 against
Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...
. He has earned 69 international
caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...
and scored 21 goals for his country. He played for
Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
in their
2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...
campaign and was elected to the World Cup All-Star team, after leading Senegal to the quarter-finals and victories over
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
(1–0) and Sweden (2–1). Senegal eventually lost 1–0 in extra time to
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
. He was also part of the Senegal team who were the runners-up in the
2002 African Cup of Nations The 2002 African Cup of Nations was the 23rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa ( CAF). It was hosted by Mali. Just like in 2000, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four. C ...
, but was one of the players who missed a penalty during the shootout in the final as they lost to
Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
. Diouf was banned from international football for four matches in 2004 for a verbal assault on referee
Ali Bujsaim Ali Mohamed Bujsaim ( ar, علي بوجسيم, born September 9, 1959 in Dubai) is a retired association football referee from the United Arab Emirates, who is best known for supervising matches at three FIFA World Cups: 1994 (two matches), 1998 ...
. In 2004, he was named in the
FIFA 100 The FIFA 100 is a list of Brazilian footballer Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, England, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the fou ...
, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé in conjunction with FIFA's centenary celebrations. In October 2007, Diouf retired from international football, stating he had been frustrated by organisational problems with the side. However, Senegal coach
Henryk Kasperczak Henryk Wojciech Kasperczak (born 10 July 1946) is a Polish football manager and a former player who most recently managed the Tunisia national football team. As a player, Kasperczak took part in two FIFA World Cups with Poland, achieving third ...
announced later in the month that he would name Diouf in the next squad. In 2011 Diouf was banned for five years from playing for the Senegal national side, after reacting angrily to claims that he had failed to attend a disciplinary hearing. In September 2012, The Senegal Football Federation confirmed that Diouf's five-year ban had been decreased and that he was available to play for the Senegal national side again. After becoming available for the Senegal national side, in October 2012 Diouf was left out of the squad to face Côte d'Ivoire in an African Cup of Nations qualifier, Diouf proclaimed that he felt he was left out of the squad because the Senegal federation were 'scared' of him. Diouf was twice named the
African Footballer of the Year African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...
.


Controversies


In France

Diouf's professional career has at times been overshadowed by controversy. During his time at Sochaux, he was involved in a succession of minor transgressions. This resulted in the move to Rennes, where he was convicted for driving without a licence, and was involved in a car crash. Taking into account his age and evident remorse, the French courts sentenced Diouf to community service.


In England

Several times during his early Premier League career, Diouf was accused of spitting at fans and opposition players. In 2002, he was accused of spitting at
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
fans while warming up as a substitute for Liverpool during a game at
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
. An investigation by
Merseyside Police Merseyside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Merseyside in North West England. The service area is 647 square kilometres with a population of around 1.5 million. As of September 2017 the service has 3,484 police of ...
found no evidence that an offence had been committed, but that Diouf had spat on the ground. On 13 March 2003, while playing for Liverpool, he was involved in an incident when he spat at Celtic fans during a televised UEFA Cup quarter-final. His club fined him two weeks' wages, UEFA gave him a two-match ban, and Diouf was charged with assault. Although Diouf initially pleaded not guilty, he later changed his plea to guilty, and was fined £5,000. In November 2004 while on loan to Bolton, Diouf was charged by the police for spitting at an 11-year-old Middlesbrough fan during a 1–1 draw. Then, on 27 November 2004, Diouf spat in the face of
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
player Arjan de Zeeuw. Bolton fined him two weeks' wages and the FA banned him for three games after he pleaded guilty to a charge of improper conduct. Bolton manager
Sam Allardyce Samuel Allardyce (; born 19 October 1954), colloquially referred to as Big Sam, is an English football manager and former professional player. Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent mostly in the Football Lea ...
later revealed that he considered sending Diouf to see a sports psychologist. On 20 September 2009, Diouf was questioned by police after allegations that he had made a racial slur to a ball-boy during a match at Everton, telling him to "fuck off, white boy". Diouf defended his actions by saying that the ball-boy had thrown the ball to him "like a bone to a dog" and that Everton fans were racially abusing and throwing bananas at him. Police found no evidence of this. In April 2010, Diouf was arrested and charged with motoring offences in Manchester. On 8 January 2011, following Blackburn's 1–0 win over
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
in the FA Cup third round, QPR manager Neil Warnock accused Diouf of taunting Jamie Mackie whilst the latter lay on the pitch injured with a broken leg and referred to Diouf as "lower than a sewer rat". On 14 July 2011, it was reported that Diouf had not joined Blackburn Rovers for a pre-season tour of Austria and that his whereabouts were unknown. The club stated that disciplinary measures would be taken against him. On 15 April 2012, Diouf and five other men were arrested following reports of a nightclub brawl in Manchester. One man was seriously injured and Diouf was bailed for a week. On 27 April 2013, Diouf was shown a controversial red card at Elland Road after making offensive gestures towards the Brighton away fans.


In Scotland

In February 2011, Diouf became embroiled in an argument with Celtic Captain Scott Brown after several on pitch altercations with Brown in the
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Neil Lennon Neil Francis Lennon (born 25 June 1971) is a Northern Irish football coach and former player. During his playing career he represented English clubs Manchester City, Crewe Alexandra and Leicester City. Lennon moved to Celtic in 2000, where he ...
and dissent to the referee at full-time. Diouf was fined £5,000 in April 2011 and warned over his future conduct by the Scottish Football Association.


After football

In 2017, Diouf, was in
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
working as a government goodwill ambassador and adviser on sport to Senegalese President
Macky Sall Macky Sall (, wo, Maki Sàll, fuc, 𞤃𞤢𞤳𞤭 𞤅𞤢𞤤‎, italic=no, Maki Sal; born 11 December 1961) is a Senegalese politician who has been President of Senegal since April 2012. He was re-elected President in the first round voti ...
, and running his own sports newspaper and a gymnasium.


Career statistics


Club


International


Honours

Liverpool * Football League Cup: 2002–03 * FA Community Shield runner-up: 2002 Rangers * Scottish Premier League:
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
*
Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
:
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
Senegal * Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2002 Individual *
African Footballer of the Year African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...
: 2001, 2002 * BBC African Footballer of the Year: 2002 *
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
All-star team: 2002 *
FIFA 100 The FIFA 100 is a list of Brazilian footballer Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, England, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the fou ...


References


External links

*
Player profile at LFChistory.net

Bolton Wanderers Profile
a
Burnden Aces
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diouf, El Hadji 1981 births Living people Sportspeople from Dakar Sportspeople from Saint-Louis, Senegal Association football forwards Senegalese footballers Senegalese Muslims Serer sportspeople Senegal international footballers Senegalese expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate footballers in England FC Sochaux-Montbéliard players Stade Rennais F.C. players RC Lens players Liverpool F.C. players Bolton Wanderers F.C. players Sunderland A.F.C. players Blackburn Rovers F.C. players Rangers F.C. players Doncaster Rovers F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Sabah F.C. (Malaysia) players Ligue 1 players Premier League players English Football League players Scottish Premier League players African Footballer of the Year winners FIFA 100 Senegalese expatriate sportspeople in England 2002 FIFA World Cup players 2004 African Cup of Nations players 2006 Africa Cup of Nations players 2008 Africa Cup of Nations players 2002 African Cup of Nations players Expatriate footballers in Scotland Senegalese expatriate sportspeople in Scotland