El Hadji Malick Diouf

At just 21, El Hadji Malick Diouf is one of Senegal's brightest emerging talents and a rapidly rising left-back. Dakar-born, he moved to Norway's Tromsø before a January 2024 transfer to Slavia Prague, where he won the 2024-25 Czech league title and earned a £19m move to West Ham United in July 2025. An attacking full-back with five Premier League assists in his debut season, he registered over 2,700 league minutes. He was a 2025 AFCON runner-up with Senegal and started against France on 16 June 2026. Ahead of the World Cup group clash with Norway, Diouf gave a memorable assessment of Erling Haaland, whom he kept off the scoresheet in a 1-1 league draw while at West Ham: "He's a machine. I played against him at Manchester City, the game ended 1-1, and he didn't score" — adding the striker is "capable of scoring in every way imaginable and at any time." His pace and overlapping runs make him a long-term fixture.