Diouf slams Gerrard

CAIRO – 28 June 2017: El Hadji Diouf, former Senegal national team and Liverpool player, slammed Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard while doing an interview with BBC.

Speaking on his relationship with Gerrard and his opinion of him, Diouf said to BBC, “I have no problem with him. Gerrard is a strong character and I am a strong character. Gerrard was a very good player, people like him in Liverpool but he never did anything for his country.”

He then moved to compare himself to Gerrard by saying, "I am Mr. El Hadji Diouf, Mr. Senegal, but he is Mr. Liverpool and Senegal is bigger than Liverpool and he has to know that."

Citing from ESPN, Diouf continued by stating his achievements with Senegal, "We put Senegal on the world map. Before the World Cup nobody knew Senegal, but after the World Cup everybody wanted to know where Senegal was.”

Reporting from ESPN, Diouf concluded by saying, “what [Diego] Maradona did for his country [Argentina] is what I did for Senegal. I was one of the biggest men at the 2002 World Cup."

Diouf was partnered with Gerrard during his time at Liverpool. He then had several clashes with Gerrard on the field when Diouf later went to Blackburn. The retired Senegal international striker was one of the key players that helped Senegal reach the quarter finals of the 2002 World Cup.