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PARIS: Former Senegal midfielder Papa Bouba Diop, who scored the first goal of the 2002 World Cup against defending champion France, has died at age 42, soccer’s governing body, the national team, said on Sunday (November 29). FIFA.
“FIFA is saddened to learn of the passing of Senegal legend Papa Bouba Diop. Once a World Cup hero, always a World Cup hero,” FIFA said in a statement on Twitter.
FIFA did not provide details, but various media reports said Diop had died after a long illness.
Diop’s close-range goal in the 30th minute against France in the 2002 final tournament opener sealed a 1-0 victory for the World Cup debutants in one of the upsets of the tournament. France came out in the group stage without scoring.
Diop scored two more goals in Senegal’s 3-3 draw with Uruguay in the group stage to become their top scorer in the 2002 finals and reach the quarter-finals.
The versatile defensive midfielder made 63 appearances for his country, scoring 11 goals.
Diop started his club career at Senegalese ASC Diaraf and was in Switzerland at Vevey, Neuchatel Xamax and Grasshoppers before joining French Lens in 2002.
A change to the Fulham Premier League followed, and he spent three years at the West London club before being transferred to Portsmouth, where he was part of the team that won the 2007-08 FA Cup.
He also had brief stints at West Ham United and Birmingham City before retiring seven years ago.
Fulham and Portsmouth paid tribute on Twitter to the player nicknamed “The Wardrobe.”
Former Portsmouth midfielder Chris Kamara said he was devastated to read the news.
“I didn’t know he had been sick … he had been taken too young,” Kamara tweeted. “We used to laugh a lot that I called him ‘The man on the mountain himself’ RIP Papa.
