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Diop made 63 appearances for his country and the highlight of his international career came at the 2002 World Cup, where he scored the first goal of the tournament as Senegal upset reigning champion France 1-0.
He then scored two more goals in the competition when Senegal reached the quarterfinals.
On Sunday, soccer’s governing body FIFA said it was “saddened” to learn of Diop’s passing.
Diop began his club career in Senegal before playing for teams in Switzerland and France.
However, he spent much of his career in England, where he represented Fulham and Portsmouth in the English Premier League.
Nicknamed “The Wardrobe” – Diop was eight feet tall – he won the FA Cup during his time in Portsmouth and the club paid tribute to the versatile midfielder.
‘Forever in our hearts’
After a brief stint at AEK Athens, Diop returned to London to play for West Ham before ending his career at Birmingham City seven years ago.
“It is with a wounded heart that we have learned of their passing. Know that they will remain forever in our hearts even though they left without saying goodbye. RIP,” he said.
Citing unidentified sources, ESPN reported that Diop had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or motor neuron disease.
Contribution of reports from Martin Goillandeau.
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