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World Cup debutante Senegal is a young team, comprised of players with little international experience. Yet, they play with a level of maturity and style that belies their lack of international pedigree.
That's certainly true of Senegal's Papa Bouba Diop, whose star is on the rise, and brightly, at the 2002 World Cup. Diop, 24, is just one of several players who have stepped up their game at the World Cup, leading the upstart West African nation first to a 1-0 upset of defending champion France in the first of a succession of shockers at this year's tournament, then to a second-place finish in Group A and a spot in the round of 16.
And while teammate and reigning African Footballer of the Year El Hadji Diouf gets most of the attention, there is no discrediting what Diop's contributions on the field have meant to Senegal thus far at the World Cup.
Diop made an instant impact in the tournament's opening game, scoring the lone goal against France in a game that most observers felt would be little more than a tuneup game for the French.
He was also the hero of Senegal's final game - a wild one against Uruguay - potting two goals and helping his country earn a 3-3 tie: a result that saw them advance to the second round.
With three goals in the tournament, Diop is tied for second place in the scoring race with such notable world-class strikers as Italy's Christian Vieri, Ronaldo and Rivaldo of Brazil, Portugal's Pedro Pauleta, and Spain's Raul. Not too shabby for a defensive midfielder.
A tall, lanky midfielder who uses his height to his advantage as an enforcer, Diop had two-season spell in the Swiss league with Grasshoppers before transferring to French club Lens this past year.
He earned his first international cap on June 17, 2000 against Togo and scored in the semi-finals against Nigeria of this year's African Nations Cup, sending Senegal into the finals.
If Diop can continue and maintain the pace he has at the World Cup thus far, there's little doubt that top clubs from around Europe will line up with transfer offers for Lens.
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