Lauded in Africa for his footballing achievements, the image of El Hadji Diouf in Europe is slightly different.
While the former Rangers attacking midfielder was a talented footballer, his behaviour on the pitch often left a lot to be desired, and a few ex-teammates have had a few things to say about him since his retirement.
However, one of the clubs where the player felt he had some of his best time on the pitch was in Glasgow, and more importantly at Rangers FC. Mark Warburton’s club were then managed by Walter Smith who was about to hand over to Ibrox legend Ally McCoist.
Spending six months on loan there from Blackburn Rovers, the player arrived in Scotland with a bit of a reputation, one that stuck with him for the rest of his career.
Sent off in a 1-0 loss to Celtic at Celtic Park following a 2-2 draw at the Ibrox, the former Senegal international also made headlines for throwing his shirt at Rangers fans following the defeat.
However, the player, speaking to RFI in France, explained his version of the situation, and looked back fondly at his time with Rangers.
He said: “Everything went really well at Rangers. We won the league. I didn’t throw my shirt at all out of dissent. It’s just that after the game, they didn’t want me to go see the fans and give them my shirt, and the police didn’t want me to do it because of the atmosphere.
“With Rangers, I spent some incredible moments. I spent six months on loan over there. We won everything. It all went well. Then, you have to understand that Celtic and Rangers is a rivalry.”
Over the course of his six months at Ibrox, the forward made 22 appearances for Rangers, scoring two goals and picking up three assists.
He also helped Rangers come back from two points behind to pip Celtic to the Scottish Premier League, as well as lifting the Scottish League Cup.
