A Crazy Story and I was there...

This is a strange and remarkable tale from the magical land of football. The reason why I have included it here is because I was there when this piece of history came to pass.

Imagine an average footballer on the very edge of the professional game. He is playing for some nobody team in the depths of non-league football and he dreams that one day, he might play with the big soccer stars in the English Premier League. So it was for Ali Dia. No one knows for sure how the story unfolded like it did, but a big time professional manager, Graeme Souness, manager of Premiership team Southampton, got a phone call one day, supposedly from the world's best footballer, George Weah.

FIFA World Footballer, George Weah

George had been voted the FIFA World Player and was highly respected (he even stood for the presidency of his country, Liberia, in 2005) - but the phone call that day did not come from George at all. Someone pretending to be 'George' told Graeme that he knew of a player who was mega-talented - a man named Ali Dia. Graeme was so impressed with Ali's resume that he gave him a call and invited him to train with Southampton. Ali turned up, and did just enough to convince Graeme to give him a game.

Ali Dia - his 15 minutes of fame

That's where I come in. I went to that game at Southampton against Leeds and witnessed the debut of Southampton's new 'talent'. The problem was, he wasn't. Ali came on as a substitute, played for just over 40 minutes and was himself then substituted. For a mediocre non-league player, Ali's dream had come true. But as a mediocre non-league player, that dream was always going to be short-lived. Still, you have to hand it to the man. He fulfilled the dream of every aspiring footballer by running out onto a pitch and playing in the best professional league in the world - the English Premier League. How many players would give their left leg for that opportunity?

Souness - a well deserved facepalm

The whole episode provided Souness & Southampton with a healthy dose of embarrassment - though I doubt that Ali loses much sleep over the adventure. You have to admire his nerve. I do not remember very much about the game I attended that night, but I will remember it for the fulfilment of one man's dream. Good for you, Ali! Anyway, here is the story...