“I am a lion, I am a bad loser and it’s not wrong to be a bad loser,” controversial ex-footballer El Hadji Diouf told the BBC.
At home in Senegal he is a hero. Everywhere he goes, he is mobbed by fans both young and old.
But in Britian he is remembered more for his controversial antics than for his football talent.
It is a trait that followed him in the English league clubs he played for – from Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers to Bolton Wanderers, with a spell for Rangers in Scotland as well.
Diouf was aggressive, spat at opponents and confronted match officials as well as opponents.
But now in his retirement, he is telling his story.
“I have got character and I want people to respect me.”
Diouf, who has moved back to the Senegalese capital Dakar, says he was often misunderstood during his playing days in England.
He said: “I am an easy target. It’s easy to talk about El Hadji Diouf and I let them talk but I know in my heart I am a good guy.”
