Mamadou Diallo
Encyclopedia
Mamadou Diallo also known as Big Mama, is a former Senegal
ese football striker.
, Senegal
, Morocco
, Switzerland
, Saudi Arabia
, Malaysia, South Africa
, Mali
, Germany
, Turkey
, Sweden
and Norway
. A prolific scorer wherever he played, he became a regular for the Senegal national team
.
signed Diallo in 2000 and allocated him to the Tampa Bay Mutiny
. Diallo exploded on the MLS scene in his first season, combining well with midfield general Carlos Valderrama. Diallo scored 26 goals, the best in the league
since Roy Lassiter
had 27 in 1996; he was named to the MLS Best XI
and was the league Scoring Champion
.
However, Diallo is also remembered for the incident on August 16, 2000 in a game against the MetroStars, where he collided with and stepped on Metro goalie Mike Ammann
, breaking his ribs, puncturing his lung, and effectively ending his career in the process. While the referee saw the collision as unintentional contact, and while he was neither fined nor carded for the incident, there were those (including Ammann himself) that considered the contact was intentional.
In 2001, with Valderrama traded in mid-season, Diallo had a down year, slipping to nine goals. The Mutiny was contracted after the season and Diallo was selected by the New England Revolution
in the 2002 MLS Allocation Draft
. He only spent seven games in New England, and was sent over to the MetroStars in a six-player deal on May 24. He had a four-goal game against the Los Angeles Galaxy
in only his second match with the team, but his scoring tapered off and the Metros missed the playoffs.
n club Al-Ahli on 7 October 2002, but was dropped in November after failing to impress. His globetrotting ways took him to the former UEFA Cup winners, the Swedish
club IFK Göteborg
, then Malaysian club Pahang
, the Jomo Cosmos
of South Africa
and finally with Djoliba AC until he retired.
, scoring 21 goals, in a career which saw him represent his country at the African Cup of Nations
in both 1994 and 2000.
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
ese football striker.
European career
Diallo has played all over the world: United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, Malaysia, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. A prolific scorer wherever he played, he became a regular for the Senegal national team
Senegal national football team
The Senegal national football team, nicknamed the Lions of Teranga, is the national team of Senegal and is controlled by the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football...
.
Major League Soccer
Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
signed Diallo in 2000 and allocated him to the Tampa Bay Mutiny
Tampa Bay Mutiny
The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a charter franchise of Major League Soccer active from 1996 - 2001. They initially played in Tampa Stadium and were immediately successful, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in...
. Diallo exploded on the MLS scene in his first season, combining well with midfield general Carlos Valderrama. Diallo scored 26 goals, the best in the league
MLS Golden Boot
The MLS Golden Boot has been awarded since the 2005 season to Major League Soccer's regular season leading scorer...
since Roy Lassiter
Roy Lassiter
Roy Lassiter is a retired American soccer striker, and Major League Soccer's record holder for goals scored in a season, with 27 in 1996.-Early life:...
had 27 in 1996; he was named to the MLS Best XI
MLS Best XI
The MLS Best XI is an acknowledgement of the best eleven players in the league in a given season for Major League Soccer in Canada and the United States.-Winners:*Players in bold text also won the Major League Soccer MVP Award award for that season....
and was the league Scoring Champion
MLS Golden Boot
The MLS Golden Boot has been awarded since the 2005 season to Major League Soccer's regular season leading scorer...
.
However, Diallo is also remembered for the incident on August 16, 2000 in a game against the MetroStars, where he collided with and stepped on Metro goalie Mike Ammann
Mike Ammann
Mike Ammann is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who played professionally in England and Major League Soccer.-Youth:...
, breaking his ribs, puncturing his lung, and effectively ending his career in the process. While the referee saw the collision as unintentional contact, and while he was neither fined nor carded for the incident, there were those (including Ammann himself) that considered the contact was intentional.
In 2001, with Valderrama traded in mid-season, Diallo had a down year, slipping to nine goals. The Mutiny was contracted after the season and Diallo was selected by the New England Revolution
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
in the 2002 MLS Allocation Draft
2002 MLS Allocation Draft
After the Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion were contracted, Major League Soccer distributed their players to the rest of the league by means of an Allocation Draft, in which teams with excess allocations were allowed to select from their players. Players not selected in the Allocation Draft went...
. He only spent seven games in New England, and was sent over to the MetroStars in a six-player deal on May 24. He had a four-goal game against the Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
in only his second match with the team, but his scoring tapered off and the Metros missed the playoffs.
Later career
Diallo was sold to Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
n club Al-Ahli on 7 October 2002, but was dropped in November after failing to impress. His globetrotting ways took him to the former UEFA Cup winners, the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
club IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, the club has won 18 national championship titles, five national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups....
, then Malaysian club Pahang
Pahang FA
The Football Association of Pahang enters a team in Malaysian football competitions to represent the state of Pahang. The team is based in Kuantan, Pahang. They play in the top division in Malaysian football, the Malaysian Super League...
, the Jomo Cosmos
Jomo Cosmos
Jomo Cosmos is a South African football club based in Johannesburg that plays in the Premier Soccer League. The club is owned and coached by South African soccer legend Jomo "Black Prince" Sono....
of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and finally with Djoliba AC until he retired.
International career
Diallo won 46 caps for the Senegal national football teamSenegal national football team
The Senegal national football team, nicknamed the Lions of Teranga, is the national team of Senegal and is controlled by the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football...
, scoring 21 goals, in a career which saw him represent his country at the African Cup of Nations
African Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Cup of Nations or African Nations Cup, officially CAN , is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football , and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been...
in both 1994 and 2000.