Senegalese Football was thrown into mourning on Sunday following the death of 2002 World Cup hero Papa Bouba Diop after a long battle with an undisclosed illness.
Diop was part of Senegal’s golden generation that reached the quarter-final of the FIFA World Cup and he scored the famous winning goal against France in the group stage.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed the news of the former Midfielder’s demise, in a tweet paying tribute to the Senegal star.
Papa Bouba Diop: 1978 – 2020.
Rest In Peace lion. ♥️🇸🇳 pic.twitter.com/UrEY5y3Oit
— #TotalCAFCL (@CAF_Online) November 29, 2020
Diop started his professional career with local team ASC Diaraf before a decent run with a number of European clubs including Grasshoppers, Portsmouth and AEK Athens.
He was nicknamed ‘The Wardrobe’ during his Portsmouth days where he also won the FA Cup alongside Nigerian duo Kanu Nwankwo and John Utaka.
In his 7 years with the Teranga Lions, Diop earned 63 caps and scored 11 goals. He was aged 42 years.
