The next destination of our alphabetical world tour is Senegal. Located on the West coast of Africa, Senegal became only the second African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals during their tournament debut in 2002.
According to the Premier League website, 30 players have represented Senegal in the Premier League, though they do not include former Leeds forward Lamine Sakho who is listed without a nationality.
First Player – Aly Dia (Southampton; 1996)
The story of Aly Dia is a famous one, but no matter how many times it is told, it never gets any less ridiculous. Though details are difficult to confirm, it is widely believed that Aly Dia won a month contract at Southampton after a colleague of his called Saints manager Graeme Souness pretending to be 1995 Ballon d’Or winner George Weah.
“Weah” told Souness that Dia was his cousin and had previously played for Paris Saint Germain in addition to winning 13 international caps. This was not true of course, but in the days before a quick google search was possible, Souness gave Dia a shot with a one-month contract.
Perhaps the most unbelievable part of all of this is that Dia actually managed to get on the pitch for the Saints’ first team. He came on as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 home loss to Leeds before being substituted himself. His contract was terminated just a few days later.
What is known about Dia is that he was Senegalese, meaning he was the first Senegalese player in Premier League history.
Most Appearances: El Hadji Diouf – 243 (Liverpool, Bolton, Sunderland, Blackburn; 2002-11)
An extremely controversial figure, El Hadji Diouf burst onto the scene with electric performances at the 2002 World Cup. He had agreed to join Liverpool before the tournament started and his displays for Senegal had the red half of Merseyside thinking they had signed a gem.
He failed to live up to his potential at Anfield however; scoring just three Premier League goals, and he spent further time with Bolton, Sunderland and Blackburn before dropping down to Championship with Doncaster Rovers.
Top Scorer: Sadio Mane – 80 (Southampton, Liverpool; 2014-present)
One of the best wingers in world football right now, Sadio Mane is the top-scoring Senegalese in Premier League history.
He has been a revelation since joining Southampton in 2014, later becoming one of several Saints players to swap St Mary’s for Anfield. Mane has arguably been the most successful of Liverpool’s south coast acquisitions however, remaining an integral part of the unbelievable Liverpool side of the last two seasons.
He shared the Premier League Golden Boot in 2018/19 and has finished in the top three in the African Footballer of the Year award in the last four years, winning in 2019.
Current Players
The following four Senegalese players have appeared in the Premier League in 2019/20: Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace), Sadio Mane (Liverpool), Oumar Niasse (Everton) and Ismaila Sarr (Watford).
Elsewhere, midfielder Henri Saivet remains at Newcastle United, but has made no appearances since 2017/18 and has spent much of the time since out on loan.
Trivia
- Former Fulham and Portsmouth midfielder Papa Bouba Diop scored the opening goal at the 2002 World Cup, in a 1-0 victory over defending champions France.
- Sadio Mane scored the fastest ever Premier League hat-trick, taking just 176 seconds to score the first three goals of a 6-1 victory for Southampton over Aston Villa in 2015.
- Former Wolves, Southampton, Wigan, West Ham and Stoke striker Henri Camara is the most capped Senegalese player ever, making 99 appearances between 1999 and 2008.
