Posted on May 18, 2024
| 4 minutes
| 672 words
| Elina Uphoff
Boulaye Dia Quick Info
Height
5 ft 11 in
Weight
75 kg
Date of Birth
November 16, 1996
Zodiac Sign
Scorpio
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Boulaye Dia is a Senegalese professional soccer player who has represented, as a forward, Jura Sud Foot (2017-2018), Stade de Reims II (2018), and Stade de Reims (2018-2021) in France, and Villarreal CF (2021-Present) in Spain. Stade de Reims II is the reserve team of Stade de Reims. In August 2022, Villarreal CF loaned him to the Italian professional soccer club U.S. Salernitana 1919 for one year, with a buyout clause. At the international level, Boulaye has represented Senegal, making his senior national debut in October 2020. With Senegal, he won the 2021 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (played in January and February 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). This was the 33rd edition of the biennial international men’s soccer championship of Africa and Senegal won the title for the first time in history.
Born Name
Boulaye Dia
Nick Name
Boulaye
Boulaye Dia as seen in an Instagram Post in November 2022 (Boulaye Dia / Instagram)
Sun Sign
Scorpio
Born Place
Oyonnax, Ain, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Residence
Senegal
Nationality
Occupation
Professional Soccer Player
Boulaye Dia as seen in an Instagram Post in December 2019 (Boulaye Dia / Instagram)
Family
Siblings – Harouna Dia (Older Brother), Abou Dia (Brother). He has 4 other siblings.
Shirt Number
9 – Senegal
14, 11, 9 – Jura Sud Foot
13, 9, 7 – Stade de Reims II
33, 31, 17, 9, 15, 11, 12 – Stade de Reims
16 – Villarreal CF
29 – U.S. Salernitana 1919
Playing Position
Forward
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 11 in or 180.5 cm
Weight
75 kg or 165.5 lbs
Boulaye Dia as seen in an Instagram Post in July 2020 (Boulaye Dia / Instagram)
Race / Ethnicity
Black
He is of Senegalese descent.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Toned physique
Slightly overgrown, side-cropped afro hair
Affable smile
Sports a thick beard
Brand Endorsements
He has been sponsored by Nike, Inc., an American multinational footwear, apparel, and sports equipment brand.
Boulaye Dia as seen in an Instagram Post in February 2022 (Boulaye Dia / Instagram)
Boulaye Dia Facts
Boulaye, born to Senegalese parents in Oyonnax, France, began his senior career in 2017 with the French 4th-tier club Jura Sud Foot. He scored 15 goals for the club in just 21 games.
The success prompted the top-flight French club Stade de Reims to sign him up on a professional contract in July 2018. After making 6 appearances for the club’s reserve side, Stade de Reims II, Boulaye made his professional debut for Stade de Reims in October 2018.
In October 2020, he scored a hat-trick (the feat of scoring 3 goals, not necessarily consecutive, in a match) in a 4-0 win against Montpellier HSC. This made him the first Stade de Reims player to have scored a hat-trick in Ligue 1 (the top division of the French soccer league system) since 1978. This was also the club’s first win in the league in the 2020-21 season.
In Senegal’s 2nd group stage match of the 2022 edition of the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup, against hosts Qatar, Boulaye scored his team’s first goal in a 3-1 victory. It was just the 4th international senior-level goal of his career. The win was vital for Senegal as they went on to edge past Ecuador by a 2-1 margin in a tense finish in the teams’ 3rd and final group-stage game, consequently qualifying for the tournament’s knockout stage for just the 2nd time in history.
The previous and only other such occasion was the 2002 edition of the tournament where the team had stunned the world by reaching the quarter-final stage. That campaign’s highlight was Senegal’s shock 1-0 win over defending champions (and their former colonizers) France, in the teams’ opening group-stage encounter. France was eventually knocked out of the competition in the group stage itself.
