GOALDia, who became infamous in football history as one of the strangest signings ever, had claimed to be the cousin of a Ballon d’Or winner.
Ali Dia has secured his place in football history. Pretending to be the cousin of the legendary George Weah, a Ballon d’Or winning forward from AC Milan, Dia was able to convince others of his football prowess and secure a move to the Premier League in 1996.
At the time, Graeme Souness was serving as the manager for Southampton, not as the grumpy TV commentator he later became. He received a call from a man pretending to be Weah, which turned out to be false. Regardless, the voice on the line recommended Dia to Souness, who believed that such a recommendation should not be overlooked.
Thus, Dia was given a one-month contract, and would eventually be considered perhaps the worst player the Premier League has ever witnessed…
