Papa Bouba Diop
Papa Bouba Diop was born in Rufisque, Dakar, Senegal on January 28th, 1978 and is the Soccer Player. At the age of 42, Papa Bouba Diop biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 42 years old, Papa Bouba Diop has this physical status:
Papa Bouba Diop (28 January 1978 to 29 November 2020) was a Senegalese professional footballer. He preferred midfield, but he could also play as a center back, where he played at Lens. Diop was regarded as a durable and offensive player. Patrick Vieira's playing style and abilities attracted comparisons.
Diop spent a large part of his career in England, where fans affectionned him "The Wardrobe" for his stature. He played for Fulham and Portsmouth in the Premier League and lifted the FA Cup with the latter club in 2008. In France for Lens and in Greece for AEK Athens, he played top-flight football in Switzerland for Neuchâtel Xamax and Grasshopper.
Senegal defeated France 1–0 in the first match of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, with Diop's second of a total of 11 international goals scoring. He appeared in four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, finishing as runners-up in 2002.
Club career
Diop was born in Rufisque, Dakar. He began his football career with junior team Ndeffann Saltigue before joining ASC Diaraf of the Senegal Premier League in 1996. He left Senegal for Switzerland, where he spent a few months with third-tier club Vevey before signing as a professional for Ligue Nationale A club Neuchâtel Xamax in the 2000 close season. He joined the Grasshoppers, a top-flight team that won the championship in his first half-season and made his first appearance in UEFA competitions in December. He moved to France in January 2002 and joined Lens of Ligue 1 on a five-and-a-half-year contract.
After his impressive appearances for Lens, Papa Boupa Diop joined Fulham in Premier League for £6 million, starting with a four-year contract in July 2004. Diop appeared on his debut against Manchester City on August 14, 2004, playing the full 90 minutes. Diop scored his first goal for Fulham against Chelsea, scoring Fulham's only goal in a 4–1 home loss. Diop's first season with Fulham was such a success for the club that he was named Fulham's Opta Player of the Season award for 2004–05.
Lawrie Sanchez, the former Fulham boss, said Diop had all the attributes to be one of the best midfielders in the Premiership. "There's no reason why Bouba can't be one of the best centre midfield players in the Premiership," he said, and here's where I see his long-term future. I've seen Diop play over the years, and he has all the attributes of a top-class midfielder."
Diop was nominated for the Fulham "Player of the Year" award during the 2005-2006 season. Diop will then sign a new contract, extending his term until 2009. Diop continued to make the correct call by deciding to sign a Fulham contract. Diop became a fan favorite among fans.
He missed part of the 2006–07 season due to an injury caused by hamstring, foot, and back pains, causing him to miss part of the 2006–07 season and losing the captaincy to Danny Murphy. Wigan Athletic made a £5 million bid for the midfielder in January 2007, but Diop decided against the transfer and stayed with Fulham, assisting them in avoiding relegation.
Lawrie Sanchez, the Diop's three years as the head of Craven Cottage Fulham, allowed him to move forward, and he moved to Portsmouth on transfer deadline day. Diop played 84 games for Fulham, scoring nine goals.
Diop's fee for a five-year contract with Portsmouth was £3.5 million. In a 0–0 draw, he made his debut against Liverpool on September 15, 2007. Diop was a key player in Portsmouth's triumphant 2008 FA Cup campaign, playing a solid, defensive game, and making some crucial tackles against Cardiff City.
Following Portsmouth's demise, Diop was expected to be freed. Diop will only be leaving for a fee of £1 million, according to Portsmouth's chief, Andrew Andronikou, but Portsmouth later agreed to an undisclosed fee (reported as £750,000) to move Diop to AEK Athens in July 2010. He appeared in 72 games for Portsmouth but was unintelligible.
Despite a passion from Fulham, Celtic, and Paris Saint-Germain, Diop agreed to a two-year contract with AEK Athens, earning €900,000 per season.
In a Europa League play-off first-leg game against Dundee United on August 19, Diop made his debut for AEK Athens against Dundee United on September 19, 2010. At the 81st minute of the 1–0 win, Diop appeared as a replacement. On June 3, 2011, Diop scored his first Super League goal against PAOK, who lost 4–0 to AEK. Bouba Diop finished the season in only 19 league games. Diop defeated Atromitos 3–0 on April 30, 2011, winning the Greek Cup for the first time. In the Superleague Greece play-offs, Diop also scored two goals against PAOK, giving AEK the 3–0 lead.
West Ham reported the signing of Diop on a one-year contract on August 30, 2011. After leaving AEK Athens, he joined on a free transfer. The offer also had the option to re-sign for a further year. In a 2–2 away draw with Crystal Palace, he made his West Ham debut on October 1, 2011. Against Barnsley on December 17, he scored his first and only goal for West Ham. In a 1–0 victory, his goal was the deciding factor. He made 16 appearances for West Ham in the league and was a popular member of the squad. Although not a team member on the day, Diop celebrated on the pitch with the team as they gained promotion to the Premier League by the 2012 Football League Championship play-off Final at Wembley Stadium on May 19, 2012. Diop was fired by West Ham on June 30, 2012, after the expiry of his deal.
He agreed to join former Birmingham City's Lee Clark on a short-term contract as a result of a successful application for a working visa, and the deal was concluded on October 19th. He stayed for a month longer and made his Birmingham debut as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 draw against Blackpool on Saturday. He had been banned within minutes of playing the game. Diop made his first appearance for Birmingham with Hayden Mullins suspended and Jonathan Spector injured for the visit to Crystal Palace on December 15th, as well as Callum Reilly in central midfield. Birmingham came back from 2–0 down to draw, with a strong header from Rob Hall's corner, and was rewarded with another month of work. He suffered a hamstring shortly after, and the club's financial challenges meant they were unable to offer him a new contract extension. In January 2013, he joined the club for the first time.
International career
While playing for Neuchâtel Xamax in the Swiss Super League, Bouba Diop received his first call-up to the Senegal national squad in 1999 at the age of 21. He was a member of the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations in Mali, and he was a member of the team that finished runners-up in the semi-finals, scoring the opening goal.
He is perhaps best known for scoring the first goal of the 2002 FIFA World Cup against France, which culminated in the 1-0 loss of the defending world champions and, eventually, Senegal's early exit from the tournament, in which Senegal advanced to the quarter-finals. With three goals, he finished as the tournament's best scorer, having also scored twice against Uruguay. Diop celebrated his victory over France by running to the corner of the field, laying his shirt on the ground, and having his teammates dance around it.
Diop appeared in three other Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, winning 3–0 in 2004 over Kenya in Tunisia, and in 2006 he netted against Guinea in a 3–2 triumph. In 2008, Senegal boss Henryk Kasperczak resigned after the tournament due to the team's ill discipline. His last appearances were in a group stage elimination in Ghana. Diop scored 11 goals as a Senegal's 63 times.