23 years ago there was a football player from Liberia called Ali Dia. Ali couldn’t find a football club because of his lack of skills. After being rejected at several clubs he came up with a plan. In the summer of 1991 Ali rang up numerous clubs pretending to be the football legend George Weah. (Weah is one of the greatest football players ever, and was very well known at that time). clubs didn’t believe him and laughed at him, or thought it was a very silly joke. 

Ali almost gave up hope until he met football transfer agent James Mccroyem. James Mccroyem Had connections in the Englisch premier League. He told them that Ali was George Weah’s talented cousin and he was showing great potential. This trick worked and Mccroyem actually managed to get Ali a loan contract at FC Southampton. FC Southampton was one of the best teams in the premier league at that time. 

During training some players and trainers noticed that Ali’s level of football skill was way too low, but Mccroyem claimed that it was because Ali was injured and he needed some time to adapt. The Loan contract Mccroyem set up for Ali made that Ali had a much higher salary than the other southampton players.

When the football season started Southampton was playing against title contestant Leeds United and by everybody’s surprise Ali was on the substitute bench. During the match Southampton their star player Matt le Tissier got a shoulder injury and got replaced by Ali. The football world was shocked by the Ali his terrible performance, even his own teammates were shook. After 20 minutes Ali was taken of the pitch and he became a national laughing stock after Southampton had lost the match 4-0. The next day, Ali was banned from the squad and in the same week sent away by the Southampton direction. 

No one ever heard of him again, but he is the first and only player who pretended to be a professional football player, and actually played a game in the premier league. 

That’s why he shall never be forgotten.