A Liverpool forward launched an explosive verbal attack on Steven Gerrard during a pre-season friendly, according to an ex-teammate who witnessed the confrontation
10:36, 17 Jan 2026Updated 10:38, 17 Jan 2026
El Hadji Diouf had a memorable spell at Liverpool for all the wrong reasons(Image: )
A former Liverpool striker was no stranger to controversy, but a heated clash with Steven Gerrard at Liverpool was a standout moment even by his standards.
El Hadji Diouf signed for Liverpool in 2002 for a reported £10million, riding high on the wave of his World Cup exploits. However, his stint at Anfield turned sour, and he was shown the door just three years later, leaving fans questioning Gerard Houllier’s decision.
Diouf, who celebrated his 45th birthday on Thursday, is infamous for a series of contentious incidents both on and off the pitch, including spitting at a Celtic supporter. Yet, one of his most significant missteps at Liverpool occurred behind the scenes during a pre-season friendly.
El Hadji Diouf and Steven Gerrard didn’t see eye to eye on the pitch(Image: Getty Images)
It’s safe to say that neither Gerrard nor his mother would be sending Diouf any birthday wishes. The relationship between the goal-shy Diouf and the revered Liverpool skipper was far from cordial.
Over time, it has come to light that the pair had a deep-seated animosity towards each other, despite sharing a dressing room for three seasons. Florent Sinama-Pongolle, a former Reds forward, once revealed an extraordinary face-off between the two during a pre-season friendly.
In a chat with journalist Walid Acherchour, he revealed: “Half-time of a pre-season game. 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?
El Hadji Diouf proved to be a £10million nightmare for Liverpool(Image: )
“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. He didn’t speak English. His English was rubbish. You know what he did? They hated each other so much.
“Steven Gerrard arrives, he insults Diouf. ‘Hey, you f*****’. And [Diouf] couldn’t answer, so he grabs [former Liverpool boss] Gerard Houllier and says: ‘Tell him, I’ll f*** his mum’.”
He’s also had a war of words with Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, who once said that Diouf had “one of the worst strike rates in Liverpool history” after failing to score in over 30 matches during Liverpool’s 2003/04 season and that he was “always picked last for training”.
El Hadji Diouf and Jamie Carragher have been embroiled in a war of words(Image: Getty Images)
However, it’s his spat with Gerrard that truly marked his time in Liverpool – a feud Diouf couldn’t resist rekindling in 2017.
The controversial player made the audacious claim that he was more significant than Gerrard due to his international achievements with Senegal.
“Gerrard is a strong character and I am a strong character,” Diouf declared. “Stevie G was a very good player, people like him in Liverpool but he never did anything for his country.
“I am Mr El Hadji Diouf, Mr Senegal, but he is Mr Liverpool and Senegal is bigger than Liverpool and he has to know that.”
