El Hadji Diouf was twice African Footballer of the Year. What English fans remember is the spitting.
Who did Diouf spit at?
A Celtic fan, during a UEFA Cup match in 2003 when he was a Liverpool player. He was convicted in court and fined £5,000 for it. He also spat at Portsmouth fans, and there were several other spitting allegations during his years in England.
The forward played from 1998 to 2015 for Sochaux, Lens, Liverpool, Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland, Blackburn, Rangers, Doncaster and Leeds. His Liverpool teammates were not fans. Steven Gerrard called him "the worst player he ever played with", and Jamie Carragher said publicly that Diouf was the biggest waste of talent at the club.
That is a harsh verdict on a man who led Senegal to the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals. He had real ability. Spitting at supporters is still about the lowest thing a footballer can do, and Diouf did it again and again. He is remembered for the spit, not the skill.
Tomorrow: number 15.
