Houllier: Ranking the greatest Africans who worked with ex-Liverpool boss

Gerard Houllier’s passing earlier this week prompted tributes from both England and France, as former colleagues and rivals alike praised his work in French football and in the Premier League.

With Liverpool, Houllier restored a winning mentality, while he also nurtured some of the biggest names in French football during his time working with the nation’s footballing structures.

Houllier also worked with some of Africa’s top stars over the last four decades, signing some big names, and helping to advance the careers of some of the continent’s other greats.

Here are the top five Africans he worked with during his career, with an honourable mention going to Djimi Traore, whose troubled time at Liverpool at least ended with a Champions League winner’s medal in 2005.

Salif Diao

One of the two Senegal superstars who were signed by Liverpool during the summer of 2002, Diao was a key figure in the Teranga Lions side that reached the quarter-final of the World Cup.

Diao also scored one of the goals of the tournament, and showcased his technique and athleticism throughout with a series of dazzling displays.

In principle, he could have forged a dream midfield partnership with Steven Gerrard at Liverpool, but struggled to adapt to the speed of the Premier League.

He did later manage to prove his quality in England—with Stoke City—but never truly recovered from his failure to make his mark at Anfield.

Jules Bocande

The late Bocande was Ligue 1’s top scorer when he was signed by Houllier’s Paris Saint-Germain in 1986, having struck 23 goals with Metz during the 1985-86 campaign.

The forward struggled to settle in Paris, netting just six goals in 38 league games during a frustrating season in which the capital club finished seventh in Ligue 1 and were eliminated in the first round of the European Cup.

Bocande enjoyed a better goalscoring record with Senegal—netting 20 goals to place him joint fourth overall—but passed away prematurely at 53 during an operation.

El-Hadji Diouf

The third Senegalese player on this list, Diouf was feted as one of the brightest talents in the world game following his exploits for Senegal in 2002.

It’s fair to say that that reputation unravelled spectacularly at Liverpool, where early optimism gave way to acrimony and criticism.

Diouf was criticised for his attitude, application and lack of goals, although he was a League Cup winner with the Reds—under Houllier—in 2003.

While he never matched the heights of 2002, he did go on to enjoy a long career in British football with the likes of Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland and Glasgow Rangers.

Mahamadou Diarra

The man who finally stabilised Real Madrid’s midfield following the departure of Claude Makelele, Diarra never gets the credit he deserves for his astonishing work in both France and Spain.

Across six consecutive seasons, he was a league winner either in Ligue 1—four successive titles with Olympique Lyonnais (some won under Houllier)—and then two back-to-back titles in La Liga with Real Madrid after moving to the Bernabeu.

It’s an unparalleled spell of success in two major European leagues for an African player, and Diarra was one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation.

Rigobert Song

Perhaps his club career never quite matched his international success, but Song will go down in history as one of Africa’s genuine footballing icons.

His finest hour came with Cameroon in the turn of the century, where Song captained the Indomitable Lions to Africa Cup of Nations success in 2000 and 2002.

He played in eight Afcon tournaments—reaching the final in 2010—and also featured at four World Cups.

Signed by Houllier for Liverpool, he enjoyed a strong start to life at Anfield, but fell out of favour during the 2000-01 season.