World Cups are often seen as shop windows for plenty of clubs looking to buy the next big talent who shines on the international stage.
A recent example of Liverpool doing just that is Divock Origi, who shone for Belgium in the 2014 finals in Brazil.
If you go back a further 12 years all the way to 2002, then there is another player who arrived on the back of an impressive World Cup showing for his country.
El-Hadji Diouf announced himself on the world stage shortly after arriving at Liverpool from French club Lens, setting tongues wagging and raising excitement levels on Merseyside. But it’s well documented how his association with Liverpool went on to pan out.
However the winger wasn't the only member of the successful Senegal squad to arrive at Anfield that year.
The summer of 2002 saw Liverpool also complete the £5million signing of Salif Diao from French club Sedan.
Diao helped Senegal reach the quarter-final of the World Cup, scoring a fine goal against Denmark before later being sent off in the same game.
But he was brought to Liverpool as a defensive midfielder, and it was the expectation that he would fill a much-needed void in Houiller’s engine room.
Indeed, his move to Liverpool was accurately predicted by Senegal boss Bruno Metsu, who revealed an out-of-the-world nickname for his star midfielder.
"I call him the extra-terrestrial one. Salif is a player who makes matches complete. There was no doubt he would be one of the Senegal players to move on to a big club," he said.
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Impressing in his early months at Anfield, Diao was already been compared to one of the best in his position in world football in Patrick Vieira - but this was not a comparison that he wanted.
"Every player has a model they look up to, but I'm Salif Diao, not Patrick Vieira," Diao is quoted telling Sky Sports in October 2002.
"Good players can look at other good players and take something from them but I want to be known for who I am.
"The fans don't know a lot about me. They have only seen me in two or three games so far and they are learning about me all the time.
"I have to show my best for them but I'm not 100 percent there yet. I have to work hard to get to that level. I think I need a lot more games before I show my best.
"I came to Liverpool early because we wanted to create a similar situation for me as we've had with Milan Baros.
"Like me, he came six months earlier than he was supposed [to] and it made it better for him as he tried to get used to life in England.
"I think it will be a lot easier for me because I've joined now and I can take my time to settle into the team.
"I also speak English and I like the English style of football which suits me. That helps me to be ready when I'm needed.
"At the moment I'm here for the squad, to work hard and then if the coach needs me he can rely on me to give 100 percent.
"Whether I play or not, the most important thing is the team."
Things started to take a turn for Diao when a series of injuries limited his action on the pitch.
Liverpool's form had nosedived in 2002, resulting in Houllier's side falling out of the Champions League places in 2003 before recovering to finish fourth a year later.
Diao, along with Diouf and fellow 2002 signing Bruno Cheyrou, who had been compared to Zinedine Zidane by his manager, had struggled to impress.
So much so that by the closing end of the 2003/04 season, there was talk that he could call time on his stint at Anfield.
However, in rather peculiar circumstances, in April 2004 Diao decided to put out an open letter to Liverpool fans about his future.
He wrote: “Dear Liverpool supporters,
“Further to growing speculation in the national media that I will be leaving LFC this summer, I would like to reiterate that I am fully committed to the club. I still have three years left on my current contract, I am very happy to play for the team and I want to repay the faith Gerard Houllier showed in bringing me to England.
“Liverpool is the team that not only do I play for, but one I have also grown to support, and I have no intention of letting this wonderful opportunity pass me by. I know I am part of a great institution and feel that I still have plenty of time to make a big impression on the team and the fans.
“Unfortunately, injuries have dictated that my opportunities have been limited and the supporters haven't seen my true worth yet. I can understand that some fans might be frustrated because they are yet to see the Salif Diao that played at the World Cup for Senegal, but I can assure them all that I now feel fitter and stronger than ever and hope to take my performances to another level, given the opportunity.
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“Under the leadership of Mr Houllier, I believe I have the ideal coach to get the best out of me. His coaching knowledge and ability is widely respected, particularly among the European and African players, and I'm confident that he can help me become a better player over the course of the coming months and years.
“More immediately, my aim is to break into the team and help the club gain a place back where it belongs: in the Champions League. If we can achieve that this season, then things will look so much better for the season ahead. We have the players here, in my opinion, to be winning trophies every season, and I aim to be a part of that success.”
Despite putting his heart on his sleeve for Liverpool, just a couple of months later things changed at Anfield with Houllier leaving and being replaced by Rafa Benitez.
The 2004/05 season is forever cemented in Liverpool’s history as the year they won the Champions League with the historic comeback in Istanbul - but it was a different story for Diao.
After making just 11 appearances, Diao was sent out on loan to Birmingham City in January 2005, four months before the miracle in Istanbul.
Further loans would follow for Diao, with spells at Portsmouth and then Stoke City, before he eventually signed for the latter on a free transfer on this day (January 25) in 2007, where he remained for the next five years.
Steven Gerrard reflected on Diao’s time at Liverpool in his 2015 autobiography, where he admitted that he didn’t think too highly of the midfielder.
“The players Gerard bought in the summer of 2002 let him down. They were bad buys," he said.
“With Salif, I knew after a week of training that he wasn't going to be good enough. Diao's a good player, but not Liverpool class.”
It led to a passionate response from DIao, who clearly had been hurt by the now-Aston Villa manager's comment.
"I have nothing against him but I think writing books and criticising your ex-teammates is really low,” Diao told the BBC in 2017 .
"Who is he to say this player has a standard for Liverpool and that player doesn't have the standard for Liverpool?
"I am very happy and proud to have played for Liverpool and I always gave 100 percent.
"Today the best reward I get is that everywhere I go in the world Liverpool fans say: 'thank you Salif for what you did for the club.'"
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He went on to say that he was never made to feel as welcome at Liverpool as players who arrived at other clubs.
"When we came in, we never really felt welcomed by some players that were already there, the leaders of the club at the time," he said.
"It's not only me - I think it was also Harry Kewell and so many other players who came into Liverpool at the time - they never had that sense of being welcomed.
"When Didier Drogba went to Chelsea, I think in the first week, he was having dinner at Frank Lampard and John Terry's house, so these are true leaders.
"If players came to Chelsea they made sure during the first week they look after them, invite them to their houses just to show them that they are really welcome.
"If you compare that to Liverpool, it's two different worlds."
Despite those comments, Diao clearly still has much affection for Liverpool, so much so that he has been involved in Liverpool Legends matches for the LFC Foundation.
In a recent game against Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2019, Diao played in midfield alongside the likes of Steve McManaman, Patrick Berger, Luis Garcia and Dirk Kuyt - but it was Diao who shone above the rest.
The ECHO’s very own Theo Squires handed out his own ratings for that 3-2 win in Hong Kong, with Diao impressing.
While no scores were actually handed out, the Senegalese was the pick of the lot for Liverpool with his two goals and a man of the match performance.
“Right place at the right time to hammer Liverpool ahead early on from close-range.
“TV cameras initially missed his second but it was worth the wait - a stunner from the halfway line straight from kick-off. Denied a spectacular hat-trick from Weidenfeller.”
Now 44, Diao runs a charity in his homeland of Senegal helping educate youngsters who are involved in sport.
Diao, who was forced to sleep rough as a youngster before a successful trial at Monaco, launched the Salif Diao Foundation - Sport 4 Charity to ensure that aspiring footballers have an education to fall back on should they not make it as a professional in the game.
Amd while Diao’s time at Liverpool ended with just three goals and 61 appearances to his name, he remains popular among former team-mates and will be remembered as a player who gave his all when called upon for the Reds.
