Papa Bouba Diop is a Senegalese midfielder who was born on January 28, 1978 in Dakar. He made his international appearance in 1999 with the Senegal national football team. Papa Bouba Diop was a part of the Senegal squad at the 2002 African Nations Cup and scored the first goal of the 2002 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup against France that resulted in a 1-0 win. This victory eliminated France, then reigning World champions, following which, Senegal reached the quarterfinals. He was also a member of the team at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. As of 2008, he has made 38 appearances for his country, Senegal, and has scored 9 times.
Papa Bouba Diop started his football career by joining the youth ranks of Espoir Dakar in 1993. After a one year stint with the club, he switched to Diaraaf Dakar and later became a part of Vevey Sports. He made his debut as a senior player with the Neuchâtel Xamax Football Club (F.C), a Swiss football club, in 1996. After playing 69 games scoring 9 times, he signed Grasshopper-Club Zürich, a Swiss multisport club, for the 2000-01 season. In 2002, Papa Bouba Diop joined Racing Club de Lens (RC Lens), a French football club, for which he made 25 league appearances in the 2003-04 season, scoring twice in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Cup. In his tenure with the club, he has made 67 appearances scoring 6 times.
Papa Bouba Diop signed a four-year contract with the Fulham F.C in 2004 and made his first appearance in a 1-1 draw against Manchester City. In his first season, he played in 35 games making 7 goals, inclusive of the goal he scored in the 6-0 win against Norwich. Papa Bouba Diop went on to become one of Fulham’s influential players and was nicknamed “The Wardrobe” by the Fulham fans, owing to his enormous frame. He stayed with the club for three seasons and played in 76 games, netting 8 times, after which he was transferred to the Portsmouth F.C. on August 31, 2007. Papa Bouba Diop made his Portsmouth debut against the Liverpool F.C and was a part of the team that won the FA Cup in 2008.
