Papa Bouba Diop
Former Senegal midfielder, Papa Bouba Diop, who scored the winner to defeat World Cup holders, France, in the opening match of the 2002 tournament, has died; he was 42 years old.
Sources told ESPN that the former Fulham and Portsmouth star had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or motor neurone disease.
Diop won 65 caps for Senegal between 2001 and 2008, and was a key figure in the side that reached the World Cup quarterfinals—one of only three African sides to reach the final eight of the competition—in 2002.
Diop also represented Senegal at four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, and was part of the side that reached the final in 2002, where they were defeated by Cameroon in Bamako.
At club level, he represented four English clubs after arriving in the Premier League with Fulham in 2004, and was part of the Portsmouth team that defeated Cardiff City in the 2008 FA Cup final.
Earlier in his career, he was a Swiss champion with Grasshoppers, having made the move to Swiss football and third-tier Vevey after being recognized by scouts while playing with ASC Diaraf in his homeland.
He also played for Neuchatel Xamax and spent time with Lens—where he was a Ligue 1 runner-up in 2002—before making the move to English football.
After leaving Pompey for AEK Athens in 2010, he won the Greek Cup, and then returned to England to help West Ham United secure promotion to the Premier League, before finishing his career with Birmingham City.