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After a playing career at the lower levels in France and Germany, and having already failed trials at Gillingham, Bournemouth and Rotherham United, playing once in a reserve game for the last, 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. Days later, Dia was signed by Southampton manager Graeme Souness, after Souness received a phone call purporting to be from Liberian international and then-FIFA World Player of the Year George Weah. "Weah" told Souness that Dia was his cousin and had played for Paris Saint-Germain as well as 13 times for his country and should give him a chance at Southampton. None of this was true and the phone call to Souness was a hoax. Souness was convinced and, without any due diligence, Dia was signed on a one-month contract. However, it is disputed who made the initial call to Souness. Some sources state it was Dia's friend from university, while some say it was Dia's agent, and it has also been suggested that it was Dia himself who made the call. It was later reported that the same stunt had been pulled on Gillingham, who offered Dia a trial, but was let go by manager Tony Pulis who said that Dia was "rubbish". Harry Redknapp, then manager of West Ham United, also received the same call but dismissed it as "a wind-up". Dia played just one game for Southampton, wearing the number 33 shirt, against Leeds United on 23 November 1996;…

Dia studied business at Northumbria University in Newcastle, graduating in 2001. He received a Master of Business Administration from San Francisco State University in 2003. After finishing his education, Dia worked in the business sector in Qatar. In 2016, Bleacher Report tracked down Dia and it was revealed that he was living in London, but was looking to move back to Qatar. He told them that the Southampton story was "hurtful" to him and his family, but insisted that he was not a liar and that he trained with Southampton for a month and a half, where he impressed before making his debut, despite previous reports that he spent less than a week with Southampton before he made his infamous debut. His son, Simon Dia, is a French football player, born and raised in France.

Dia has regularly featured in lists of bad players or bad transfers. He was named at Number 1 in a list of "The 50 worst footballers" in The Times and on ESPN's ranking of the 50 worst transfers in Premier League history.