7 episodes
53 Minutes Global Originals
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- Sport
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4.5 • 13 Ratings
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Josh Widdicombe and Dara Ó Briain explore the exceptional circumstances that allowed a below average footballer to find his way onto football’s most elite stage, the Premier League.
Ali Dia - It's a name synonymous with footballing failure. Whether he’s guilty of a con, a hustle, or simply of being the recipient of a lucky break, Dara and Josh unearth the reality behind the myth that has surrounded his name for the past quarter-century.
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6. Souness Speaks!
Graeme Souness hasn’t spoken much about bringing Ali Dia to Southampton and putting him on the pitch. In this final episode, he gives an exclusive interview about what really went down when Ali Dia came to town, while Josh and Dara have discovered the latest about Ali himself.
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5. Who IS Ali Dia?
Ali Dia disappeared from the public eye almost as quickly as he appeared in it, and for over a quarter of a century he’s been a footballing recluse. Josh and Dara hear from some of the people who know the most about the man behind the myth.
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4. The Morning After
Against all odds, Ali Dia has now become a Premier League footballer, if only for a fleeting moment. Questions are being asked about who he is and where he’s come from, and this is where the myth of Ali as 'a hoaxer or a prankster' implodes.
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3. Matchday
It’s one thing to blag your way into a football club for a trial. It’s something else entirely to find yourself stepping onto the pitch during an actual Premier League match. So what exactly happened in the run-up to Ali Dia making his infamous appearance for Southampton against Leeds in November 1996? Josh and Dara investigate the run-up to matchday.
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2. Secret Agents
The mid-90s were a wild time in football. Regulations were loose, players could still be seen in your local boozer and clubs themselves were easier to access. Josh and Dara explore how these were the perfect conditions for someone purporting to be footballing legend George Weah to phone Southampton and offer them their “cousin” – Ali Dia.
If you like what you hear, please do leave a rating and a review. Don't forget, you can listen on Global Player. Download it from the App Store, or head to globalplayer.com -
1. Hustler, Hoaxer or Hero?
Ali Dia is the Premier League’s most mysterious and misunderstood footballer. But what’s the truth about his infamous appearance for Southampton in November 1996? More than 25 years on, does he deserve his reputation as “the worst Premier League player of all time”? Josh Widdicombe and Dara Ó Briain unpick the truth from the myth.
If you like what you hear, please do leave a rating and a review. Don't forget, you can listen on Global Player. Download it from the App Store, or head to globalplayer.com