El Hadji Diouf

Club

International

Scores and results list Senegal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Diouf goal.

Early career

Diouf started his career in France with Sochaux. He made his debut appearance in a 2–1 win against Bastia on 12 November 1998, before moving to Rennes for the 1999–2000 season. He moved to Lens 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, who had also just signed his club and international compatriot Salif Diao. The news initially broke following his Man of the Match performance in the opening 2002 FIFA World Cup 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 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 where he scored two goals, his first for the club, in a 3–0 win against Southampton on 24 August 2002. He started the 2003 Football League Cup Final as Liverpool defeated Manchester United. Liverpool fans had to wait until March 2003 for Diouf's next goal for…

Diouf's international career started in April 2000 against Benin. He has earned 69 international caps and scored 21 goals for his country. He played for Senegal in their 2002 FIFA World Cup campaign and was elected to the World Cup All-Star team, after leading Senegal to the quarter-finals and victories over France (1–0) and Sweden (2–1). Senegal eventually lost 1–0 in extra time to Turkey. He was also part of the Senegal team who were the runners-up in the 2002 African Cup of Nations, but was one of the players who missed a penalty during the shootout in the final as they lost to Cameroon. Diouf was banned from international football for four matches in 2004 for a verbal assault on referee Ali Bujsaim. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100, 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 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…

Born in Dakar, Senegal, Diouf came from a Serer background of the noble Diouf family.