Senegalese World Cup hero Papa Bouba Diop died at age of 42

According to various Senegalese media, Papa Bouba Diop has died. He turned 42 and lost the fight against a lingering illness. Diop is an ex-player of Fulham, Lens, Portsmouth, among others. He played 65 times for the Senegalese national team.

Diop will go down in the history books as the first player this century to score on a World Cup final round. The Senegalese did so at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea in the opening match against outgoing world champion France. It was Senegal’s debut at a World Cup and thus the first Senegalese goal ever at a World Championship.

In the end, he would score two more goals at that tournament, which still makes him the top marksman of all time for his country on a World Cup finals round. Diop played mainly as a midfielder. With Lens, he became vice-champion in the Ligue 1 in 2002. In 2013 he stopped playing football in Birmingham, England.

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