El Hadji Diouf Slams Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Neil Lennon
Former Liverpool forward El Hadji Diouf is never a man to mince his words and has launched a fresh tirade against his ex-team-mates Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.
In a remarkable interview with French football magazine So Foot (h/t Alex Richards of the Daily Mirror), Diouf tore into the Reds legends, who were and remain adored by the Anfield crowd after years of admirable service and many trophies won.
“Steven Gerrard is a great club player but an egotist,” Diouf claimed. “He didn’t care about Liverpool winning—all that mattered for him was getting on the scoresheet.”
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The Reds flop was even harsher on former defender Carragher, pouring scorn on his playing ability and his personality.
“The person I would least want to spend Christmas with is Jamie Carragher,” the 34-year-old stated. “I hate him. He was the biggest turkey I’ve seen on a pitch. I found him useless.”
On Wednesday, Carragher responded to the claims made by Diouf on his Twitter feed:
Diouf joined Liverpool in 2002 following some excellent performances for Senegal at the World Cup that year, but he never lived up to the billing. Indeed, he was moved on three years later, and it is remembered as one of the worst transfer deals at the club during the Premier League era.
Gerrard and Carragher, by contrast, are icons of Liverpool. They were both central to the club's remarkable Champions League win in 2005, as well the 2006 FA Cup and a trio of trophy wins during the 2000-01 campaign.
Football journalist Viktor Fagerstrom reported these latest quotes about Gerrard and Carragher from Diouf and was left bemused by them:
It’s not the first time Diouf has hit out at former players, with Gerrard having previously been the target of his ire.
In September, the Senegal man sensationally told radio station Radio Futurs Media (h/t Le 10 Sport and Ben Burrows of the Daily Mirror) that “Gerrard has never liked black people,” allegations which were subsequently denied by the Los Angeles Galaxy man’s legal team. “Gerrard is just jealous,” Diouf continued. “What I achieved in football, he never managed.”
In the most recent explosive interview, Diouf also shared his feelings on Bolton Wanderers manager Neil Lennon.
During their respective spells with Celtic and Rangers, the duo came face-to-face on various occasions before the heated backdrop that often accompanies Old Firm games. Diouf clearly isn’t a fan of the Northern Irishman (Warning: NSFW language used):
"I didn’t know Neil Lennon but saw his face and have always hated him. He was at Celtic, and I was at Rangers, and the two clubs were at war with each other. He is a d------d, and I’ve never liked him.
At the end of the Liverpool-Celtic game in the UEFA Cup, he asked me for my shirt, but I never gave it to him. I would still not give him it today.
"
Diouf is definitely no stranger to controversy. During his days as a Liverpool player, he spat at a Celtic fan during a UEFA Cup tie in 2003.
He was also labelled (Warning: Link contains NSFW language) a “sewer rat” by ex-Queens Park Rangers boss Neil Warnock in 2011. That was after claims he had taunted QPR man Jamie Mackie, who had broken his leg during a game, with the player alleging Diouf stood over him while injured, saying, "F--k you, and f--k your leg.”
Diouf had spells with Bolton, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers during his time in the Premier League, as well as a loan spell with Rangers. He left Leeds United in 2014 after two years with the club and joined Malaysian outfit Sabah.
