He Played With Gerrard and Owen at Liverpool

It’s a fall from grace to go from playing alongside Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Nicolas Anelka and even Jay-Jay Okocha to facing legal troubles.

Premier League football provides access to serious money and fame, which doesn’t always lead people down the right path in life.

Countless footballers have ended up on the wrong side of the law. Adam Johnson, Joey Barton and Duncan Ferguson are just some of the ex-Premier League players who ended up behind bars for various reasons.

Steven Gerrard’s Ex-Teammate Faced Legal Action

Gerrard is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history.

But he isn’t held in such high regard by every teammate he ever came across. Gerrard famously didn’t get along with ex-Liverpool colleague El-Hadji Diouf.

The duo have publicly criticised each other several times, including when Diouf attacked Gerrard so harshly on live TV that Emmanuel Petit had to step in to defend Gerrard.

The former Senegal forward was a controversial figure throughout his time on the pitch. He’s now found himself in hot water after retiring in 2015.

Diouf was sued by his ex-wife Valerie Bishop after failing to pay just under £14,000, according to the claim. The retired footballer was ordered to pay £670 a month in child support payments when Valerie took custody of their daughter following their 2023 divorce.

He was also supposed to pay for her school fees and medical bills, but his ex-partner claimed he had failed to do so since 2024. A court ordered Diouf to repay £13,220 and​​​​​​​ handed a suspended one-year jail term.

​​​​​​​Gerrard and Diouf’s Heated Relationship at Liverpool

Diouf arrived at Anfield with a big reputation following his impressive 2002 World Cup campaign with Senegal. He even persuaded the Reds to sign him instead of Nicolas Anelka, a decision Gerrard has since criticised.

The Senegalese forward lasted just two seasons at Anfield before moving on to Bolton Wanderers, on loan at first and then permanently. During his short-lived Liverpool career, Diouf scored just six goals in 80 appearances, 66 of which came alongside Gerrard.

Tensions were reportedly high between the two behind the scenes, and it even got physical once. Former Liverpool ace Florent Sinama-Pongolle recalled a clash between Gerrard and Diouf that left him ‘traumatised’.

He told talkSPORT: “It was half-time of a pre-season game. There was a fight between Diouf and Gerrard. I was traumatised.

“Can you imagine the young ones seeing this and thinking that’s what professionals are like at that level?

“At half-time, in the dressing room. Stevie G is all like ‘you have to pass, you have to pass’ and [Diouf] just loses it.”

Sinama-Pongolle continued, explaining that Diouf got extremely personal towards his teammate. He explained:

Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 02-11-26.