‘I should’ve joined Man Utd instead of Liverpool – I regretted my transfer decision’
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El Hadji Diouf earned a dream move to Liverpool after starring at the 2002 World Cup - but his time at Anfield soon turned into a nightmare. The Senegal forward had captured the attention of the footballing elite after steering his country to an unlikely quarter-final. His man-of-the-match performance against France was enough to convince Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier to pay Lens £10million for the forward, who was later joined by his international team-mate Salif Diao at Anfield.
There was plenty of excitement around Diouf, who celebrates his 44th birthday today (January 15), as the Reds believed he could help fire the club to the Premier League title. Houllier’s side had finished runners-up to Arsenal the season before and thought a new number nine would push them over the line. Needless to say, it didn’t turn out that way.
A brace on his Anfield debut provided brief hope, but Diouf scored just six goals in 80 appearances, proving to be a controversial figure during his time on Merseyside. Reflecting on his career, Diouf wished he could go back and sign for Liverpool’s bitter rivals Manchester United instead.
In 2018, RMC Sport asked Diouf which club he most regretted playing for. "I would say Liverpool," Diouf said. "Because if I had the chance again I would go to Manchester United or Barcelona. At the time they wanted me also.". After scoring on his Anfield debut, Diouf did not score another league goal until March. He failed to find the net in the Premier League the following season. The forward’s poor disciplinary record also didn’t endear him to the Liverpool faithful, receiving 13 yellow cards and a red in his final year at the club.
