Senegal World Cup heroes who upset France in 2002 and what happened to them
France were stunned when they were defeated by Senegal's heroes at the 2002 World Cup.
Les Bleus boss Roger Lemerre had a slew of stars at his disposal including Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet, Emanuel Petit, and Patrick Vieira, going into the tournament. And the 1998 World Champions were favourites to top Group A which consisted of Senegal, Uruguay, and Denmark.
However, Senegal delivered one of the shocks of the competition when they clinched a surprise 1-0 victory over the mighty French in the group's opening game, courtesy of Papa Bouba Diop's goal. Lemerre's squad never recovered from the loss and ended up crashing out of the competition, finishing bottom of the group.
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But the win sent Senegal on an impressive run which ended in the quarter-finals when they lost 1-0 to Turkey. It may have been the end of their World Cup journey, but it was just the beginning of a number of the nation's stars' careers at the highest level of the game, and here, Daily Star Sport delves into where Senegal's heroes ended up.
El-Hadji Diouf
Bad boy El-Hadji Diouf was named the Man Of The Match during Senegal's win against France. And his rave performances in South Korea and Japan earned him a move to Liverpool, who also snapped up his international counterpart Salif Diao.
Diouf showed glimpses of his ability in the early stages of his Anfield career, scoring two goals on his home debut against Southampton. But he failed to live up to his £10million price tag throughout his tumultuous Reds career, and he hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons when he spat at a Celtic fan.
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Diouf's deplorable actions saw him banned for two games and cost him £60,000 which was donated to charity. He landed himself in hot water the following season when he was sent off against Chelsea, and the Reds sold Diouf to Bolton in 2005, after he spent the 2004-05 season on loan with the Wanderers, but not before Jamie Carragher blasted him for having, "He has one of the worst strike rates of any forward in Liverpool history."
Nowadays, Diouf spends his time rubbing shoulders with politicians. And has advised the President of Senegal, Macky Sall, on sporting matters.
Papa Bouba Diop
Papa Bouba Diop scored the winning goal against France and was Senegal's top scorer in the World Cup with three goals.
And the 6ft 5in giant moved to Fulham in 2004, where he endeared himself to fans who named him 'The Wardrobe'. He then won the FA Cup with Portsmouth, and had further Premier League spells at West Ham and Birmingham before his retirement in 2013, having also made 63 appearances for his country scoring 11 goals.
But the 'gentle giant' tragically passed away in 2020 after losing his battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), according to reports. However, Diop remains in the heart of the Senegalese and Kalidou Koulibaly dedicated the nation's goal in their 2-1 over Ecuador that propelled them into the knockout stages, where England await – to the fallen hero.
Salif Diao
Salif Diao headed to Anfield with Diouf after the World Cup, although he was signed by Gerard Houllier for £5million beforehand. But he never reached the dizzying heights at Liverpool as he did with Senegal, and many blame Houllier for playing the midfielder out of position.
However, Diao didn't fare any better under new Reds boss Rafa Benitez, and he played his last game for the Reds in January 2005. He wasn't handed a squad number for the 2005-06 campaign, and failed to impress in a subsequent loan spell with Portsmouth, and then failed a medical at Charlton Athletic.
But despite his poor spell with Liverpool, Diao worked as a club ambassador for the club, and for Stoke City, after retiring. He also set-up a non-profit organisation Sport4Africa, and gained an LMA Diploma in Football Management from the University of Liverpool.
Lamine Diatta
Lamine Diatta played in every game during the 2002 World Cup. He spent the following years playing in France, and represented the likes of Marseille, Rennes and Lyon.
But a switch to Turkish side Besiktas turned sour in 2007 led to the defender buying his contract and moving to Newcastle for a year in 2008. Diatta ended his career with Doncaster Rovers in 2011, and now spends his time as a coach in Senegal's international setup.
Henri Camara
Henri Camara was another prolific member of Senegal's squad in 2002 at the World Cup. He banged in two goals for side before they went home.
And the striker went onto to gain 99 caps for his country during his glittering career. Camara joined Wolves the year after the World Cup, but his career with the Wanderers came to an end when he failed to turn up for training when they were relegated at the end of the season.
But despite his rebellious antics, Camara remained in England where he had stints with Celtic, Southampton, West Ham, Stoke City, and Sheffield United. Unlike his peers, Camara carried on playing into his 40's and last played for Greek side AP Fostiras in 2018.
Aliou Cisse
Aliou Cisse was Senegal's captain in 2002, and joined Birmingham after the competition ended. He then switched to Portsmouth in 204 after a tumultuous relationship with Brum boss Steve Bruce.
He then moved to French club Sedan in 2006, and retired at the age of 33 in 2009. After hanging up his boots, Cisse became Senegal's manager and has been at the helm for seven years. Cisse's been a huge success as Senegal boss and won the AFCON with them this year.
He'll be hoping to cause another upset when Senegal take on England in the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup today. And Cisse's troops will be hoping the team's band can distract the Three Lions with their use of an instrument named 'kessen kessen' – a tube which when turned upside down makes a sound like rain.
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