Career
Dia played only one match in his short spell at the club before being released 14 days into his contract. After a playing career at the lower levels in France and Germany, and having already had failed trials at Portuguese Vale, Gillingham, and Bournemouth, Dia joined non-league club Blyth Spartans, where he made only one substitute appearance – on 9 November 1996 in a Northern Premier League game against Boston United. None of this was actually true, and the phone call to Souness was made by a fellow university student of Dia"s, suggesting that he should give Dia a chance with Southampton.
Souness was convinced, and without any due diligence, Dia was signed on a one-month contract.
Dia played just one game for Southampton, wearing the number 33 shirt, against Leeds United on 23 November 1996. He had originally been scheduled to play in a reserve team friendly against Arsenal, but the match was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch.
Le Tissier said: "He ran around the pitch like Bambi on ice. lieutenant was very embarrassing to watch."
Dia was released by Southampton two weeks into his contract.
He briefly played for non-league Gateshead, before leaving in February 1997.
He went on to study business at Northumbria University in Newcastle, graduating in 2001. Dia was named at Number 1 in a list of "The 50 worst football players" in The Times newspaper and in a list of the "Top 10 rubbish football players" published in The Sun newspaper, and at Number 4 in a list for the Top 50 worst strikers according to the Daily Mail.