Former Liverpool forward El Hadji Diouf once criticized Steven Gerrard, accusing the club legend of being “afraid” of him during their time together at Anfield.
Diouf, who spent two underwhelming seasons at Liverpool, scoring just three Premier League goals, had a contentious relationship with Gerrard. Despite a promising start, which included scoring twice on his debut, Diouf’s time at the club quickly deteriorated, and he eventually left for Sunderland after a loan spell.
The Senegalese striker was outspoken about his issues with Gerrard, launching a scathing attack on the former Liverpool captain after Gerrard announced his retirement.
Speaking to SFR Sport in 2016, Diouf said, “When I arrived, I showed him that he was nothing. I asked him, ‘What great competition have you played and where do people remember you?’ It wasn’t [Zinedine] Zidane.”
While Diouf acknowledged Gerrard’s talent as a player, he had no respect for him as a person. He added, “The player, I respect him. He’s a great player. But the man and the person, not. I let him know.”
Diouf claimed Gerrard avoided confrontation with him, saying, “He did not look in my eyes because he was afraid. And when I arrived at Liverpool, it was he who asked me for my jersey, not the opposite.”
In response to Diouf’s comments, Gerrard addressed their disputes in his 2015 autobiography, attributing their clashes to Diouf’s lack of dedication. “It seemed to me, Diouf did not care about football and about Liverpool,” Gerrard wrote.
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