Bouba Diop makes AEK Athens move
Thursday, July 15, 2010
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Senegalese international midfielder Papa Bouba Diop has said goodbye to Portsmouth FC and the English game after signing an initial two-year contract with Greek outfit AEK Athens FC.
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AEK Athens FC have signed midfielder Papa Bouba Diop from Portsmouth FC in a transfer reportedly worth €360,000 to the English club.
Bouba Diop, capped 62 times by Senegal, has put pen to paper on a two-year contract with the Greek outfit, and has the option of a 12-month extension to the deal. The 32-year-old former RC Lens and Fulham FC player, who won the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008, said: "AEK Athens are one of Greece's top clubs and after six seasons in England it is time for a new challenge. This is a great opportunity."
He leaves English football after making a combined 129 Premier League appearances for Fulham and now relegated Portsmouth. His new employers finished third in the 2009/10 Greek Super League to book a place in the UEFA Europa League play-offs. Having started his career in Switzerland with Neuchâtel Xamax FC and Grasshopper-Club, Bouba Diop scored the opening goal of the 2002 FIFA World Cup to help Senegal defeat then reigning champions France.
