"I was the best, I am the best and I will be the best," Diouf told L'Observateur. "Senegal don't have a second El-Hadji Diouf yet. Nobody did what I did in Senegal's history."

Of his move to Sunderland, Diouf declared: "I want to make history with Sunderland, as I did with Bolton. Napoli wasn't famous when he [Diego Maradona] signed but thanks to involvement and work they become what everybody knows.

"It's not about going somewhere for the sake of it, you have to go to make history and be part of the legend."