Diop scored the winner against France and a double against Uruguay in the tournament to elevate himself from a virtual unknown to one of the World Cup's star performers.

But midfielder Diop, who is set to miss his French side Lens' Champions League visit to Deportivo la Coruna on Tuesday, has found that opposing teams now pay him a lot more attention.

"Since the World Cup, people know me," Diop told BBC Sport Online.

"When we went to play AC Milan a couple of weeks ago in the Champions' League, they were all talking about me before the game.

"And when we played Bayern Munich they put Ballack further forward to mark me.

"So the World Cup has changed a lot."

Diop spent most of the first half of the year on the bench, having failed to convince Lens coach Joel Muller of his quality following a January move from Swiss club Grasshoppers.

Now he is one of the first names on Muller's team-sheet, but Diop says he always knew he wouldn't be on the bench for long.

"I arrived in the middle of the season, so I understood why I wasn't playing.

"I said to the coach, no problem, but that next year I was going to play.

"I was determined to show everyone at the World Cup that I know how to play football.

"After my goal against France, my confidence was so high I thought I could do anything."