El-Hadji Diouf

El-Hadji Diouf is one of the greatest legends of African and Senegalese football. Double African Ballon d'Or while playing for RC Lens, he is one of the best wingers of the early 2000s.

Trophies

Goals

578

Games

1998/99 FC Sochaux (FRA) 16 matches

1999/2000 Stade Rennais (FRA) 38 matches, 4 goals

(French Championship: 28 matches, 1 goal)

(French Cup: 3 matches, 1 goal)

(League Cup: 1 match)

(Intertoto Cup: 6 matches, 2 goals)

2000/02 RC Lens (FRA) 61 matches, 19 goals

(French Championship: 54 matches, 18 goals)

(French Cup: 5 matches, 1 goal)

(Intertoto Cup: 2 matches)

2002/05 Liverpool (ENG) 79 matches, 6 goals

(English Championship: 55 matches, 3 goals)

(English Cup: 4 matches)

(English League Cup: 7 matches, 3 goals)

(Champions League: 9 matches)

(UEFA Cup: 4 matches)

2004/05 Bolton Wanderers (ENG) (Loan) 35 matches, 9 goals

(English Premier League: 27 matches, 9 goals)

(English Premier League: 3 matches)

(English League Cup: 5 matches)

2005/08 Bolton Wanderers (ENG) 104 matches, 15 goals

(English Premier League: 87 matches, 12 goals)

(English Premier League: 2 matches)

(English League Cup: 3 matches)

(UEFA Cup: 12 matches, 3 goals)

2008/09 Sunderland (ENG) 16 matches

(England Premier League: 14 matches)

(England Cup: 1 match)

(England League Cup: 1 match)

2009/11 Blackburn Rovers (ENG) 62 matches, 4 goals

(England Premier League: 60 matches, 4 goals)

(England Cup: 2 matches)

2011 Rangers (ECO) (Loan) 15 matches, 1 goal

2011/12 Doncaster Rovers (ENG) 22 matches, 6 goals

2012/14 Leeds United (ENG) 50 matches, 7 goals

(England Premier League: 40 matches, 5 goals)

(England Cup: 5 matches, 1 goal)

(England League Cup: 5 matches, 1 goal)

2014/15 Sabah FA (MYS) 10 matches, 4 goals

With the National Team :

70 caps, 24 goals

(Friendly matches: 21 caps, 4 goals)

(World Cup qualifiers: 20 caps, 14 goals)

(World Cup: 5 caps)

(Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers: 8 caps, 5 goals)

(Africa Cup of Nations: 16 caps, 1 goal)

1st cap: April 23, 2000 against Benin (1-0)

Last cap: October 11, 2008 against Gambia (1-1)

El-Hadji Ousseynou Diouf

Born January 15, 1981 in Dakar (SEN)

Senegalese, Right-winger, Striker, Left-winger, 1m80

Nickname: "Dioufy"

An incredibly talented young man

El-Hadji Diouf was born on January 15, 1981 in Dakar, Senegal. There, he discovered football by playing as a goalkeeper before becoming a striker by trying to imitate Jules Bocandé. During his adolescence, he moved to France where he joined the famous FC Sochaux training center.

After a first season as a professional with Sochaux, he joined Stade Rennais. Despite a good start, the player struggled to convince and the following season he was loaned to RC Lens. It was in the club in the North of France that the Senegalese player would reach his full talent.

A key player in the Blood and Gold team, he helped his club finish runner-up in France in 2002. He also reached the final of the African Cup of Nations while having a great World Cup. Eliminated in the quarter-finals, he put in a very good performance against Sweden in the round of 16.

A career ruined by his behavior

Double African Ballon d'Or in 2001 and 2002 while playing at RC Lens, the player finally signed for Liverpool FC at the age of 21 as one of the greatest hopes in his position. Unfortunately, his adventure with the Reds was a disaster, with the player failing to live up to expectations.

In total, he only scored 6 goals in 79 games for Liverpool FC. A player who likes to party, he is often criticized for his lack of involvement, sometimes partying a few hours before games. His driving license was eventually revoked for drunk driving.

The player then gradually lost his enormous potential and his reputation as a very good player, he was finally loaned to Bolton Wanderers before leaving Liverpool for Bolton permanently in 2005. There, he performed well without ever regaining the brilliance he had in France, at RC Lens.

Continuing his escapades off the field and with a strong and controversial character, he finally left England permanently in 2014 to join the Malaysian championship and the Sabah FA club where he ended his career at the age of 34.

An absolute legend of Senegalese football, he played a total of 70 times for his country, scoring a whopping 24 goals. He will forever remain the flamboyant player of the 2002 World Cup during which he finished in the tournament's team of the year, and the best player of the African Cup of Nations of the same year.