Dakar (AFP)
Former Senegalese international midfielder Papa Bouba Diop has died at the age of 42 following a long illness, the Senegalese Football Federation announced on Sunday.
Diop scored the winning goal against the reigning world champion France team in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup in Seoul.
The Senegalese selection, coached by Frenchman Bruno Metsu, who died in 2013, reached the quarter-finals where it was beaten by Turkey (1-0 ap).
During his career, Diop, born in Dakar, played in Switzerland (Vevey, Neuchâtel Xamax, Grasshopper Zürich), in Lens between 2001 and 2004, in England (Fulham, Portsmouth, West Ham, Birmingham) and in Greece at the AEK Athens.
In a tweet Senegalese President Macky Sall paid tribute to the player: "The death of Papa Bouba Diop is a great loss for Senegal. I pay tribute to a good footballer, respected by all for his courtesy and his talent, proudly reminding us the Lions' saga in 2002. I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family and to the world of football ".
© 2020 AFP