Ali Dia the day of his debut with the Southampton (Photo: The Telegraph)
Often they talk about who is the best player ever football. Maradona, Cruyff, Skin, Messi, Di Stefano and Kubala are some of the names that come to the fore. But nevertheless, Today we will tell the story of that, possibly, It has been the worst player in the history of the sport and the incredible story of how he came to play a few minutes in the very Premier League. Ali Dia.
Everything happened in the season 1996-1997. The Southampton the league had started well but slowly was falling to the lower classification and flirted with relegation. To top, template suffered a plague of major injuries and was becoming increasingly difficult to complete a squad by coach Graeme Souness.
Weah alleged call
That was when the coach got the call from the best player in the world at that time, Liberian George Weah, which he advised the technician who tested fichara his cousin, Senegalese Ali Dia. Souness, I was pretty desperate lack of effective team, He decided to accept the proposal of a player like Weah who he said his recommended had played in the PSG and in Senegal.
Ali Dia He was presented at the training camp of the Southampton a Friday, It is the next league game of the Rojiblancos to the next day. The staff was quite surprised at the level of the player who did not seem to be for anything but, To everyone's surprise, Senegal entered the call, basically because there was more choice.
It came the day of the party and Southampton Y Leeds They began the battle for the three points at a packed stadium whose followers began to wonder who was that Ali Dia He is appearing with the number 33 on the reserve bench. They would soon have chance to find out as, To make matters misfortunes, the star of the local assembly, Matt Le Tissier, He was injured shortly before the break. And who would be responsible for replacing? Exact, Ali Dia.
The player’ African entered the field with a sprint that is still remembered and the first and only ball that touched nearly resulted in another goal. Enthusiasm or He was caught off bounds following his movement with great attention. But as they advanced the minutes that enthusiasm was becoming a mixture of disbelief and laughter. Footballer that made no sense and tactical rigor and simply running after the ball all over the pitch.
Bambi seemed running on ice”
Revelry grew and the rest of the players Southampton, as he confessed Le Tissier, They spoke of the fate that had that person to have achieved such an important debut in league with no idea of playing football. Star described it as the Saints “Bambi running on ice”. Once advanced the Leeds, the local coach again replace Ali Dia before the General cachondeo.
Of course, nobody ever saw him again. He did not submit to training the next day and I no longer knew him. The amazing thing about this story is that Graeme Souness I call George Weah very angry to demand an explanation of why the signing had advised his cousin considering the level it was unfortunate. Liberian, amazed, He said he had no cousin named and that he never had telephoned him. The scam was discovered at the.
Even today continues to remind Ali Dia and his incredible feat. As a man he managed to fool everyone to get to play in one of the best leagues in the world fulfilling the dream of every football lover.
