El Hadji Diouf signed for Liverpool after starring at the 2002 World Cup, but his time on Merseyside soon turned into a nightmare as he admitted he wished he had joined Man Utd instead
El Hadji Diouf bagged a dream ticket to Liverpool after his dazzling 2002 World Cup performance, but it wasn’t long before his Anfield stint turned sour.
The forward was on everyone’s radar following his pivotal role in Senegal’s shock run to the quarter-finals – think Viktor Gyokeres right now – with his standout display convincing Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier to splash £10million to bring him over from Lens, alongside compatriot Salif Diao. But Erling Haaland to Manchester City it was not.
With Diouf turning 44 today (January 15), here’s a look back at the buzz that surrounded his arrival, as the Reds were convinced he’d be the missing piece in their Premier League title chase, especially after finishing second to Arsenal previously.
However, despite a promising start with two goals on his debut, Diouf’s Liverpool career fizzled with just six goals in 80 games and a reputation for controversy and disgracing the famous Red shirt.
In hindsight, Diouf said his preference would have been to join either Manchester United or Barcelona, revealing in a 2018 RMC Sport interview his regret over choosing Liverpool, saying: “I would say Liverpool,” and “because if I had the chance again I would go to Manchester United or Barcelona – at the time they wanted me also”.
After netting a goal on his Anfield debut, Diouf didn’t score another league goal until March. He was unable to find the back of the net in the Premier League the following season.
His poor disciplinary record, which included 13 yellow cards and a red in his final year, did not win him any favours with the Liverpool fans. In a UEFA Cup match against Celtic in March 2003, Diouf spat at an opposition fan, leading to a police interview, a two-game ban, and a fine equivalent to two weeks’ wages, reports the Mirror.
Houllier, who left Liverpool in 2004, confessed that the signing had been one of his biggest blunders. “The disappointment has been El Hadji Diouf because he has great potential but has never shown consistency,” Houllier told the BBC. “On occasions he has not given a good impression of the club, and that has no doubt in my mind affected people’s views.”
While Diouf wished he had signed for United, who went on to win the league in 2003, Liverpool had their own reasons to feel frustrated. The Reds had failed to sign former loanee Nicolas Anelka on a permanent deal that summer, with Diouf brought in to replace the Manchester City-bound striker.
Diouf had a frosty relationship with new captain Steven Gerrard, and Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher later gave a damning verdict of the forward’s time at the club. “He has one of the worst strike rates of any forward in Liverpool history,” Carragher said.
“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.”
Diouf had a career revival with Bolton starting in the summer of 2004, lasting four years, before hooking up again with boss Sam Allardyce at Blackburn.
His career also included a loan spell at Rangers and short runs at Championship teams Doncaster and Leeds, eventually hanging up his boots in 2015 following a brief period with Malaysian outfit Sabah.