Steven Gerrard has named the worst teammate that he played alongside at Liverpool, and he didn’t hold back.
Having played at Liverpool for almost all of his career as a professional footballer, Gerrard has seen some of the very best players ever to put on the red shirt.
The likes of Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso all played alongside Gerrard during his incredible 17 year stay at Anfield.
However, being at one club for so long means that Gerrard also saw some players that flopped at Liverpool, and he didn’t hesitate to pick out one as the worst during his time there.
In total, Gerrard made over 700 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, scoring 186 goals and assisting 155 while captaining the side for several years including during the iconic 2004/5 season that saw the Reds lift the Champions League trophy.
The one thing that is often held against Gerrard when people reflect on his career is that fact that he never won the Premier League, having brutally missed out in the 2013/14 season.
And in his autobiography, titled My Story, the Liverpool legend picked out one player who was signed to help turn Liverpool into champions of England as the worst teammate he ever played with.
Writing in 2015, Gerrard claimed: “I don’t really want to waste time thinking about El Hadji Diouf but it’s worth highlighting his wasted seasons at Liverpool as an example of how it can all go wrong.
“Gerard Houllier, a very good manager and a usually wise judge of character, signed Diouf in the summer of 2002. Gerard bought Diouf for £10m from Lens – solely on the recommendation of his former assistant, Patrice Bergues, who had coached Diouf there.
“I understood why Gerard rushed through the signing, but he did not really know Diouf as a person. He was one of three new signings which were meant to turn Liverpool into Premier League champions.”
Senegalese striker Diouf joined Liverpool from French side Lens in a £10million in the summer of 2002, but Gerrard argued that he was part of a trio of signing that he believes is the biggest waste of money in the history of Liverpool.
El Hadji Diouf made 80 appearances for Liverpool. (Image: Getty)
He added: “We had finished as runners-up to Manchester United the season before and a combination of Diouf, Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou was supposed to drive us to the title. It was probably the biggest waste of £18m in Liverpool’s history.
“We finished the season in fifth place and Diouf had sealed his place at the top of the list of Liverpool signings I liked least.
“It seemed to me that Diouf had no real interest in football and that he cared nothing about Liverpool. For example, the way he spat a huge globule of gunky phlegm at a Celtic fan in a UEFA Cup match at Parkhead in March 2003 summed up his contemptuous and spiteful demeanour.
“A few people have since asked me if I saw any comparison between Diouf and Mario Balotelli – and I’ve always said no. I’ve got respect for Balotelli; I’ve got none for Diouf.
