“I Regret Choosing Liverpool – I Should Have Signed for Man Utd”
Choosing between Liverpool and Manchester United is rarely straightforward. No matter where either club sits in the table, it’s like being asked to pick a favourite child. For any player without emotional ties, both paths promise glory, history, and the chance to leave a mark in the Premier League. These are England’s two most decorated giants, each built on silverware and myth. It’s a two-horse race with no clear winner—both boast pedigree, yet neither offers certainty.
El Hadji Diouf once believed he had landed his dream move when Liverpool signed him in 2002. Fresh from a sensational World Cup with Senegal, where he inspired a stunning run to the quarter-finals and shone against France, Diouf became one of football’s hottest prospects. Gérard Houllier paid £10 million to bring him from Lens, soon adding his international teammate Salif Diao.
What followed, however, was far from a fairy tale.
A brace on his Anfield debut hinted at something special, but it proved misleading. Diouf scored just six goals in 80 appearances, delivering more controversy than celebration. By the end of his turbulent spell, his relationship with the club and its supporters had completely collapsed. So bitter was the experience that Diouf later admitted he wished he had joined Liverpool’s fiercest rivals instead.
In 2018, he didn’t hesitate when asked which club he regretted playing for most. “Liverpool,” he said. “If I had the chance again, I would go to Manchester United or Barcelona. They wanted me too.”
After his debut goals, he failed to score in the league again until March and then went an entire Premier League season without finding the net. His discipline matched his drought—13 yellow cards and a red in his final year only deepened fan frustration. The lowest moment came in a UEFA Cup tie against Celtic in 2003, when he spat at a supporter, earning a police interview, a suspension, and a hefty fine.
Even Houllier later admitted that signing Diouf ranked among his biggest mistakes. Today, he is widely remembered as one of Liverpool’s worst transfers.
Had Diouf chosen Old Trafford instead, he might have lifted a Premier League title under Sir Alex Ferguson. Instead, poor form and constant controversy forced him to rebuild elsewhere, spending years at Bolton before spells at Blackburn, Sunderland, Rangers, Doncaster, Leeds, and eventually Malaysia.
His fallout with former teammates was just as damaging. Jamie Carragher publicly labelled him Liverpool’s worst forward, highlighting his dreadful strike rate and lack of effort in training. Steven Gerrard echoed those feelings in his autobiography, questioning Diouf’s commitment and accusing him of caring only about himself.
While Carragher and Gerrard went on to conquer Europe in 2005, Diouf’s career drifted. His confidence never translated into greatness, and his Liverpool chapter remains a cautionary tale—proof that choosing the right giant can define a career, and choosing the wrong one can haunt it forever.