Papa Bouba Diop, a former West Ham United and Fulham player, passed away.
It has been reported that Diop, 42, died today after a long fight with illness.
Diop was a fan favourite at Fulham from 2004 to 2007, appearing in over 70 league games after joining from Lens before moving to Portsmouth.
He later joined AEK Athens before returning to England and joining West Ham, where he played 16 league games before a brief stay with Birmingham City.
Aside from his club accomplishments, Diop will be remembered as one of the heroes of Senegal’s 2002 World Cup campaign, in which he and his country advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to Turkey.
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Diop made 63 appearances for Senegal, scoring 11 goals, including his country’s first goal in the 2002 World Cup, a memorable occasion for many in the African country.
Diop was promoted as a member of West Ham’s play-off-winning team in 2012, but that wasn’t his only achievement.
He also won the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008, coming off the bench with 12 minutes remaining in their 1-0 victory over Cardiff City in the final.
That FA Cup winner’s medal adds to his Swiss Super League victory with the Zurich Grasshoppers in 2001, as well as an African Cup of Nations runner-up medal with Senegal the following year.
