Issa Diop

The defender is known to be a fitness freak. There are rumours (always to be taken with a grain of salt) circulating that he prefers cycling to riding motor vehicles.

Born in Toulouse France, the young Frenchman started his career with local side Balma SC who plays Championnat National 3 of France before being scouted and signing for Toulouse FC at 10 years old. After spending 9 years with their academy the defender signed his first professional contract in 2014. Over a year later he would makes his debut for the senior side in Ligue 1 against Nice, playing a full 90 minutes at the age of 18. He made 21 appearances in his debut season, helping the club keep 8 clean sheets to avoid relegation in the final day of the season. In the 2016-17 season the defender made 30 Ligue 1 appearances helping Toulouse finish 13th in the table, at the end of the season he was awarded the captaincy for his exceptional performances, leadership skills, and to ward off interests from potential suitors. In 2017-18 Toulouse enjoyed a quarter final run in the Coupe de France under his captaincy but again struggled with relegation in the domestic league but managed to stay in Ligue 1. In June 2018 Premier League club West Ham United splashed the cash to sign the Frenchman from his boyhood club Toulouse in deal worth £22 million. The defender signed for 5 years but it wouldn't take him long to make the headlines winning praise from opposition manager Jose Mourinho for his indomitable performance in West Ham's 3-1 victory over Manchester United.