El hadj Ousseynou Diouf is without contest one of the most famous Senegalese football players of his time. Sunderland’s new player has had some turbulent life experiences starting from his childhood, to the career of a very accomplished football player. The child of Balacoss - the name of the area where he used to live in Saint Louis - won the “Golden Ball” title twice. He is very popular in Senegal, Africa, and the rest of the world despite some of his misbehaviours. Knighted by his counterparts but rejected by Liverpool because of his mischief at Bolton, he is starting a new career at Sunderland. He was chosen by the enigmatic Roy Keane, known for a similar temper, is convinced that Diouf is not a bad boy. He is still the best Senegalese player since the beginning of the qualification matches and is currently being picked for the Senegalese squad. Saint Louis, his childhood kingdom El-Hadji Ousseynou Diouf was born on 15th January 1981 in Dakar, the Senegalese capital. He spent his childhood in Saint Louis, the former colonial town, located near the mouth of the Senegal River and the Mauritanian desert in the Northern part of Senegal where his parents are both from. He had a happy childhood, a traditional upbringing from Saint Louis, divided between the learning at the Coranic School and life under the supervision of his family, including his grandmother, uncles and aunts. His parents were out of the country because of work responsibilities: with his father located in Portugal to negotiate his football future and his mother working in a fishing factory located in Nouadhibou, the second biggest town in Mauritania after Nouakchott. It was not always easy for Diouf to cope with the absence of his parents, at times he had to defend himself against bullying. Despite his grandmother’s care, he missed parental warmth and as a result, Diouf built up a tough mental barrier and gained the spirit of a fighter. Diouf escaped from the burden of his daily life by playing football with friends, these friendly matches made him very happy. From this moment on, Diouf knew he wanted to play football for a living. Diouf liked to show off his football skills whether he was playing at school or just having a casual kick-about with his friends. This triggered his popularity among the suburb as a talented player; everybody wanted Diouf on their team because they could see what great skills he possessed. From the river Senegal banks to Mersey banks Diouf was just a teenager when he met Pape Samba Mbow, an agent from SaintLouis, who heard about his talents and connected him with managers in France to launch his career. In Montbéliard, he meets Senegalese player Omar Daf who lived in the same training centre. He went on to train with Daf improving his professional skills. After a year, they go their separate ways as Diouf joins Rennes football club, the “red and blacks” where he began playing with the Sylvain Wiltord. However, he did not stay there for long, after playing several matches in premierships in 1999 and UEFA Cup, he misbehaved and was asked to leave the club at the end of the season: the reputation of the club seemed more important than the talent of a future great player. Diouf then went on to the Nord Pas-de-Calais in Lens, the ‘blood and gold.’ He finished a good season in Senegal alongside Ferdinand Coly, Pape Bouba Diop et Pape Seydou Diop. Back in France, he was reunited with his team - an ideal environment where his leadership was accepted by teammates. Feeling relaxed and at ease in this environment, he exploded onto the football scene and became one of the best players in the championship. During the two years spent in the North of France he played a total of 54 matches, scoring 18 goals. On the international scene, he experienced his first selection in a match against Benin for 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifications. His fame exceeded the Hexagon and in Senegal he gathered in the crowd. At this time, Diouf was blissfully happy and become a very important player. Twice Golden Ball Diouf received a warm welcome from the supporters at the Bollaert stadium and became their favourite player with the big clubs of the Hexagon queuing to sign him. The entire country of France agreed that the ‘Teranga’s Lions’ experienced a new era of great players led by French Bruno Metsu; Diouf became the icon of this new era and a backbone of strength alongside Khalilou Fadiga, Henry Camara, Salif Diao, Ferdinand Coly, Tony Sylva and the others. Africa discovered a real genius, with Diouf
going down as the second best scorer of the Can and 2002 World Cup, scoring nine goals after Ivory Coast player, Ibrahima Bagayoko who scored 11. Diouf’s goals opened Senegal’s doors to the World Cup for first time in history. Thanks to its performance, he won the African Gold Ball title in 2001 – a first for a Senegalese player and until now, the only. The “Lions” play their first final and lose to Cameroon after a series of penalties. Months later, the team renew their performance by reaching the quarterfinals in the world cup in Japan and South Korea. El Hadj Diouf confirmed his talent in front of the world by humiliating the Senegal opponents at the World Cup where he had a great tournament. The “King Pele“ was also convinced by Diouf’s talent. He is then listed amongst the ten players, published in Thursday by the Federation International of Football, to compete for the 2002 World Cup “Golden Ball” title. The selectors of the continent name him the golden ball in South Africa where he meets Nelson Mandela, and other head-of-state Africans. Diouf became a big star of football, and just 24 hours before the start of 2002 world Cup, he signed at the English red Club, Liverpool. Fantastic player or trouble-maker? At Liverpool, Diouf started his English experience alongside great players such as talented footballers Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen. He was bought for ten million pounds, but, with disappointing performances and not scoring any goals in 80 matches, the Liverpool supporters didn’t understand this grand purchase. Known as an emotial player, Diouf managed to accumulate a bundle of yellow and red cards, caused arguments and was renowned for occasional mood swings. His most notable action was when he spat at a Celtic fan during the UEfA Cup. Despite apologising, he is punished by his club. Not learning from his outburst, only a few months later, the supportes of Middlesborough were at the end of his spitting attack. This slipping of behaviour got Diouf his bad-boy reputation. But, at the same time, he was playing fantastic matches. This went unnoticed in the UK with the media heavily focusing on his out-of-order actions and was classed as a troublemaker. The rupture within the reds team is unacceptable and they send him to Bolton. Amongst players like Okocha and Anelka, Diouf recovered from his bad name by performing again like he used to. In four years, he played 141 matches and scores 27 goals, this good performance resulted in the team qualifying for the European Championship. While playing at the Wanderers, he calmed down despite spitting on Portsmouth captain Arjan de Zeeuw. He then spent four seasons in Bolton where in his personal life; he became a father to a girl named Kenza. The birth of his daughter was one of the reasons he stayed in control of his actions. After a good and long career at Bolton, Diouf decided to sign at Sunderland - this will be his third club after Liverpool and Bolton. His career with the ‘Teranga’s Lions’ started again and was then the best player, the best winger and the best striker (with two important passes and two goals since the beginning of the qualifications for the Can and the 2010 World Cup.) An icon of generosity The bad boy reputation that the world knows Diouf for very much clashes with the good Samaritan image he has harboured in Senegal - a man with a good heart, is very generous and shows genuine compassion for others. These are the reasons why he is still popular in Senegal. His faith also lies in donating to charity including helping provide incubators to maternity units and funding associations that help disabled people. He is also particularly generous when it comes to his family, friends and even strangers. For the launch of his charity called ‘Konfidence’, funded with his friend and famous Senegalese/American singer, he said: “We are in Senegal for positive actions because we only have our talent and we want to become role models for the future generation, that it is our aim. Instead of investing somewhere else we preferred to help our African and Senegalese brothers especially.” With his kindness and gratitude, the child of Saint-Louis coming from a simple background, El Hadj Diouf believes in sharing his success and to not forget his roots. He is the follower of Serigne Touba, who had to fight his way through.
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