El Hadji Ousseynou Diouf (Arabic: الحج ديوف) (born 15 January, 1981) is a Senegalese footballer. He plays for Bolton Wanderers and Senegal.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | El Hadji Ousseynou Diouf | ||
| Height | 5'11 (180cm) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Bolton Wanderers | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
Diouf started his career in France with Sochaux-Montbéliard – making his first appearance in 2-1 win against Bastia on 12 November 1998 – before moving to Stade Rennais for the 1999-2000 season. He moved to Lens the following season, spending two years at the Pas-de-Calais club before moving to English club Liverpool.
Diouf was largely unsuccessful at Liverpool, who bought the player from Lens for £10,000,000 prior to Senegal's impressive 2002 World Cup run, beating holders France as well as Sweden and getting to the quarter final. Diouf was named African Footballer of the Year in February 2003 for the second year running, for helping Senegal come runner-up in 2002 African Nations Cup and the achievement in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
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 September 15, 2005, El Hadji Diouf scored Bolton's first ever goal in a European competition against Lokomotiv Plovdiv in a UEFA Cup match at the Reebok Stadium. Bolton went on to win the game 2-1.
Controversy
Diouf had been involved in several controversies, most notoriously for spitting. In September 2003 he was fined £5000 for spitting on a Celtic supporter during a UEFA Cup quarter final and was banned and fined for spitting in Arjan de Zeeuw's face during a 1-0 home defeat against Portsmouth in November 2004. His Bolton manager Sam Allardyce has stood by him and is actively trying to help him curb his bad on-field behaviour.
In November 2006, Diouf was arrested over allegations he hit his wife at their home in Bolton.
International career
Diouf's international career started in April 2000 against Benin; Diouf has earned 41 international caps and scored 16 goals for his country. In 2004, he was named to the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé in conjunction with FIFA's centenary celebrations.
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