5'11"   11st.8lb.
b. Toulon (France) 16 December 1975
 

Debut 26 August 2000 (24y 253d) Final Game 15 September 2000 (24y 273d)
First Goal 6 September 2000
CAREER: Ecole Sainte Anastasie Sur Issole ’81;Collège Pré de Pâques,Brignoles ’86;Collège Pierre Puget,Toulon ’88;Lycée Dumont Durville, Toulon ’92-’93;SCToulon '93;Girondins de Bordeaux Jun'94;Stade Rennes FC Jan'98 (loan);Arsenal Jan'99 (£2,500,000)[2+10];Olympique de Marseille Jun'99 (£3,000,000);Paris St Germaine Dec'99 (1m FFR + Leroy); Blackburn Rovers Aug'00 (loan);West Ham United Sep'00-May'01 (loan)[6+5];Racing Ferrol (Spain) Jan'02-Jun'02 (loan);OGC Nice Aug'02-May'03 (loan);Al-Ittihad (Qatar) Sep’03;Al-Khritiyat (Qatar) ’04;AC Ajaccio Jun'05;Gaziantepspor (Turkey) Jul’06-Sep’07;MKE Ankaragűcű Jan’08 ( free):Alki Larnaca (Cyprus) Aug’08 (free);AC Arles-Avignon Jul’09-Jun’11.
INTERNATIONALS Guinea 21 + 6 apps 11 goals.
’04 v Sen 1gl,Tun 2gls.’05 v Mlw 1gl,Bot 1gl,Mor,Ken,Mor,Ken(s),Tun(s).’06 v Mlw 1gl,Bot,SAf,Zam(s),Tun 1gl,Sen 1gl.’07 v Cam,Alg, CaV(s),IvC,Gam 1gl,Alg(s).’08 v Tun 1gl,CaV.’10 v Egy 1gl,Mlw,BuF,IvC(s).
HONOURS Fr Cp win (Bordeaux) ’99.Fr Cp los (Bordeaux) ’97,(PSG) ’00.
SQUAD NUMBER  9  Aug’00.
 

FL           1 + 4 apps          - 2 wdn                               4 ns
FLC        1 app          1 gl
Total     2 + 4 apps  1 gl  - 2 wdn  + 111m -12m      4 ns
Strike rate 189 mins

When Arsenal paid two and a half million pounds for Diawara it was in belief that they were signing a player whose strong running and physical ability might adapt well to the English game. Never a regular goal scorer in French football there was always the possibility that he might mature. In fact he had incredible bad luck at Highbury, striking the woodwork so regularly that it became a talking point. It was to set the template for a career in England, France and Spain where he was never to achieve what the club foresaw. However after undergoing knee surgery he was loaned out to Nice, a newly promoted club with horrific financial difficulties that made their survival doubtful. The team commenced playing inspired football, sparked by Diawara's goal snatching instincts and remained among the leaders of the French League. Returning to Paris St Germain, Diawara found himself a hot property but settled for the financial reward of a move to Quatar. He also availed himself of the amnesty given to players who had represented a country at age group level to change their allegiance and commenced a successful international career with Guinea, the country his parents left when his father came to France and found work on the docks at Toulon. A move to Turkey followed but soon after the start of his second season in the country he fell into dispute with his club and returned to France, training with FC Metz while he attempted to have his contract cancelled. The move was blocked by FIFA because of the Turkish club’s failure to pay his wages and in January he signed for another Turkish club, but the hiatus in his career resulted in him missing the African Nations’ Cup. After a spell in Cyprus he returned to France, hoping to find a team where he could end his career. He was training with other out of contract players of the French Players’ Union organisation in July and scored two goals against their Slovenian counterparts, which prompted Arles to invite him for a trial. He was granted a contract and within a few days was back in the national team, scoring in Egypt. After retirement he worked for Canal + Afrique.