Papa Bouba Diop

Papa Bouba Diop (28 January 197829 November 2020) was a Senegalese professional footballer.

His preferred position was as a defensive midfielder, but he could also play as a centre-back, where he played at Lens.

Diop was considered a physically strong and aggressive player.

His playing style, position, and ability drew comparisons to former France holding midfielder Patrick Vieira.

Diop spent much of his career in England, where fans nicknamed him "The Wardrobe" for his stature.

Diop appeared as a substitute at the 81st minute of the 1–0 victory.

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.

In December that same year, he joined fellow top-flight club Grasshoppers, whom he helped win the championship title in his first half-season and made his first appearance in UEFA competitions the next.

Diop's second of a total of 11 international goals for Senegal came in a 1–0 victory over then-world champions France in the opening match of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, in Senegal's first match at the FIFA World Cup.

He also played at four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, finishing as runners-up in 2002.

Diop was born in Rufisque, Dakar.

He moved to France in January 2002 to join Lens of Division 1 on a five-and-a-half-year contract.

After his impressive performances for Lens, Papa Boupa Diop signed with Premier League team Fulham for £6 million, signing a four-year deal in July 2004.

Diop made his debut against Manchester City on 14 August 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 defeat.

In his first season at Fulham, Diop made such an impressive display for the club that he was named Fulham's Opta player of the season award for 2004–05.

Former Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez said that Diop had all the attributes to become one of the best midfielders in the Premiership.

He said, "There's no reason why Bouba can't get himself up to being one of the best centre midfield players in the Premiership and that's where I see his long-term position. I've seen Diop play over the years and he has all the attributes to be a top-class midfielder".

For his performances during the 2005–06 season, Diop was nominated for the Fulham "Player of the Year" award.

An injury due to hamstring, foot, and back problems resulted in him missing part of the 2006–07 season and losing the captaincy to Danny Murphy.

In January 2007 Wigan Athletic made a £5 million bid for the midfielder, but Diop decided against the move and stayed with Fulham, helping them to avoid relegation.

After Diop's three years at Craven Cottage Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez allowed him to move on, and he transferred to Portsmouth on transfer deadline day.

Diop finished his Fulham career having played 84 matches for the side, scoring nine goals.

Diop signed a five-year deal with Portsmouth for a fee of £3.5 million.

He made his debut against Liverpool on 15 September 2007 in a 0–0 draw.

He played Premier League football for Fulham and Portsmouth, and won the FA Cup with the latter club in 2008.

He also played top-flight football in Switzerland for Neuchâtel Xamax and Grasshopper, in France for Lens and in Greece for AEK Athens.

Diop was a key player in Portsmouth's victorious 2008 FA Cup campaign, playing a solid, defensive game and making some crucial tackles against Cardiff City.

Following Portsmouth's relegation, Diop was considered likely to be released.

Diop would then sign a new deal keeping him until 2009.

Diop then said that he made a right decision to sign a contract with Fulham.

Diop became a fans' favourite.

Portsmouth's administrator, Andrew Andronikou, stated that Diop would only be leaving for a fee of £1 million, but Portsmouth eventually agreed to an undisclosed fee (reported as around £750,000) to transfer Diop to AEK Athens in July 2010.

He played 72 games for Portsmouth without scoring.

On 13 July 2010, Diop agreed terms with AEK Athens signing a two-year deal earning €900,000 per season, despite interest from Fulham, Celtic and Paris Saint-Germain.

Diop made his debut for AEK Athens against Dundee United on 19 August 2010 in a Europa League play-off first-leg game.

Diop scored his first Super League goal against PAOK on 3 June 2011, the match finished 4–0 to AEK.

Bouba Diop finished the season having played in only 19 league games.

On 30 April 2011, Diop won the Greek Cup with AEK in a 3–0 win against Atromitos.