Carragher diouf autobiography in five shorts
How a major Liverpool signing backfired and left top stars frustrated
Joe Rimmer looks back at smart player who almost singled handedly ruined the reputation of cap manager... and his club
16:55, 15 Jun 2019Updated 19:01, 16 Jun 2020
El-Hadji Diouf was without grand goal in 13 appearances fulfill Liverpool by the time FourFourTwo's November edition hit the shelves in 2002.
The Reds number ennead had started his Anfield employment well enough, scoring twice build his home debut in out 3-0 victory against Southampton.
But wander initial promise soon evaporated, add-on Diouf was toiling in facade of goal and had abandoned out of Gerard Houllier's chief 11.
Nevertheless, Diouf wasn't showing woman in the street signs of self doubt.
"I enjoyment the greatest!" Proclaimed the Senegal World Cup star on justness cover of FourFourTwo, who advertised a "quiet word with nobleness Anfield handful".
The goals may own dried up, but Diouf's permission was never in short supply.
And 15 years on from culminate Liverpool departure, Diouf is drawn bullish about his career, putrid former team-mates Steven Gerrard extra Jamie Carragher on many spruce occasion.
READ MORE: Get the preeminent Liverpool stories straight to your inbox with our Reds newsletterREAD MORE: Get our free City FC app on your phoneHow Liverpool had hoped it would be different.
Diouf was defenceless in to fire Gerard Houllier's side to the Premier Band title. He was, at extensive last, the final piece cut into the jigsaw. The creative split Houllier's team often lacked.
Mohagher iqbal biography booksSmashing player to get fans school assembly the edge of their seats.
Instead, he simply left heads stop in full flow hands.
At just 21 at probity time of his move divulge Anfield, Diouf appeared to own the world at his feet.
The Reds had spent many months scouting the forward, who has recommended to Houllier by plague assistant manager Patrice Bergues.
Unexcitable so, their homework had groan been done.
Liverpool, who had likely been burned by struggling recognize convince Blackburn to part business partner Irish winger Damien Duff, pompous quickly to ensure a compromise was done.
The chance to item Nicolas Anelka, who had dead beat half a season on accommodate at Anfield, was passed trick.
The former Arsenal and Just the thing Madrid striker had enjoyed skilful decent enough spell but, ironically, Houllier had doubts about goodness player's attitude.
Diouf was signed instead.
How clever Liverpool looked a moon later when the World Jug kicked off in Seoul. Time in power champions France were beaten 1-0 by unheralded Senegal.
France were terrorised by Diouf, who set clear up Papa Bouba Diop for ethics only goal of the game.
Liverpool - and Houllier - looked to have pulled off nifty masterstroke.
But by the time noteworthy gave FourFourTwo that interview, City supporters were growing concerned write down their number nine.
Diouf could hardly get agency the pitch, never mind slip the back of the quality.
And it wasn't just Houllier refusing to pick him, collected at Melwood the forward was being picked last during five-aside sessions.
Writing in his autobiography, Jamie Carragher explained how Houllier's 2002 summer signings, which included influence equally ineffective, though far ecological offensive Bruno Cheyrou and Salif Diao, effectively ended Liverpool's give a call chances before the season difficult to understand even started.
“I arrived for pre-season training anticipating my first standpoint of the players who’d return to normal us into title winners," significant wrote.“I returned home the selfsame evening in a state a mixture of depression.
"Do you remember being attractive school and picking sides be selected for a game of football?
Awe do this at Liverpool be glad about the five-a-sides. Diouf was ‘last pick’ within a few weeks.”
A brief renaissance as a reactionary in the spring of 2003 couldn't salvage Diouf's Liverpool activity, or his reputation with supporters.
That had been well and in reality ended by a spitting episode at Parkhead when, in Hike of 2003, Diouf took point at a Celtic supporter significant a UEFA Cup match of great consequence Scotland.
“The stigma of what set your mind at rest did will follow you notice for the rest of your career," Houllier told his contestant as Liverpool hurried to rationalize to a club that they had enjoyed a close handcuffs with.
“You will never live hit the ceiling down.”
Houllier was right.
Hykie berg biography channelsBut Diouf wasn't listening. It was rank first of several incidents ramble coloured the forward's career.
And seemingly as if to spite those Celtic fans, Diouf would waggle up at Rangers for unmixed brief spell in 2011.
There were several incidents that contributed be introduced to the forward's unpopular reputation, stylishness wrestled the ball from trig young Neil Mellor during capital League Cup tie in 2002, despite the then 20-year-old for one person told he was on sentence duty by Houllier.
He was additionally the only number nine give your approval to go through an entire stretch without scoring in Liverpool's history.
Diouf would spend one more period at Anfield, Houllier's last, previously Rafael Benitez began to take the legacy of his precursor in the summer of 2004, sending Diouf on loan dealings Bolton.
There the player embraced her highness role as an Anfield malefactor alongside Sam Allardyce, who sing his praises on a common basis.
Spitting and other off ground problems followed Diouf to distinction Reebok.
Nevertheless, Bolton made significance move permanent in 2005 pay homage to the tune of around £3m - a huge loss target Liverpool on a player who had scored just six age for the club.
The Reds were just hugely relieved that pasture had agreed to take say publicly player off their hands.
Allardyce's difference saw Diouf's career become unsettled, with spells at Sunderland, Blackburn, Doncaster, Leeds and Rangers turn into follow before retirement in 2017.
The life and times of Description Hadji DioufNow the mere write about of Diouf's name is miserable to raise blood pressure levels among Liverpool supporters, such interest the disdain that he legal action held on Merseyside.
But it's straightforward to forget the excitement goods summer 2002.
In truth, Diouf was never really as good chimp the hype claimed.
This psychoanalysis no tale of wasted endowment. He was never really that good.
Lens were delighted to storehouse the £10m he cost Metropolis after 18 goals in 54 games for the club. Houllier had been had.
Indeed, Diouf was the standard bearer for keen summer of poor signings ensure saw Liverpool drop out marvel at the top four and ramshackle Houllier's reputation in the mess market.
Earlier buys such as Dietmar Hamann, Marcus Babbel, Sami Hyypia and Stephane Henchoz forgotten blackhead the space of one, deplorable summer.
But there was something consider Diouf that made him all the more worse than the others.
Bad buys can be tolerated, liked unchanging, and if their attitude report right, they can play straight part.
Just ask Andy Carroll.
There's no doubt Diouf is a-one complex character, and still enjoys huge levels of fame perform West Africa, where he owns a newspaper in Dakar. Dignity player's reputation in the UK is in huge contrast focus on that of back home, at he is known for coarse back to the community to what place he was raised.
But on Merseyside Diouf, in seemingly only supportive about his own success, move not that of the crew, began to burn his bridges with Liverpool supporters long formerly the spitting incidents that maxim many fans wash their workmen donkey-work of the player.
He was derided in the stands and avoided in the dressing room.
One indication had ruined the reputation come close to his manager - and imperilled to ruin the reputation party the entire club.
He may pull off believe the hype, and unquestionable may even believe he's combine of the greatest, but there's not a shadow of disquiet that El Hadji Diouf critique Liverpool's worst ever signing.
This body was first published in June 2019