# Boulaye Dia

Boulaye Dia (born 16 November 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Lazio, on loan from Salernitana. Born in France, he plays for the Senegal national team.

## Club career
### Reims

Dia signed a professional contract with Reims on 16 July 2018 after a successful debut season with Jara Sud, where he scored 15 goals in 21 games. He made his professional debut with Reims in a 1–1 Ligue 1 tie with Angers on 20 October 2018.
On 25 October 2020, Dia scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 win against Montpellier, thereby becoming the first Reims player to score one in the top flight since Santiago Santamaría in 1978. The win was the club's first in the league in the 2020–21 season.

### Villarreal

On 13 July 2021, Villarreal announced the signing of Dia on a five-year deal from Reims. On his first official debut for Villarreal, which was against Chelsea in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup, he received lots of praise for his fine display.

#### Loan move to Salernitana

On 18 August 2022, Dia went to Serie A club Salernitana on loan for one year, with a buyout clause.

### Lazio

On 16 August 2024, Dia joined Lazio on a two-season loan, with a conditional obligation to buy.

## International career

Born in France, Dia holds French and Senegalese nationalities. He was called up to represent the Senegal national team on 1 October 2020. He first played for Senegal in a friendly 3–1 loss to Morocco on 9 October 2020 and scored his first goal in a 3–1 win over Congo on 7 September 2021.
He was part of Senegal's squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations; the Lions of Teranga went on to win the tournament for the first time in their history. Dia was appointed a Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion by President of Senegal Macky Sall following the nation's victory at the tournament.
Dia started all four of Senegal's matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, scoring the opening goal of a 3–1 win over hosts Qatar, as the nation reached the round of 16 for the first time since its debut in 2002.
In December 2023, he was named in Senegal's squad for the postponed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in the Ivory Coast. However, an injury forced him to forfeit and he was replaced in the Senegalese group by Bamba Dieng.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 16 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Europe | Europe | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Jura Sud | 2017–18 | Championnat National 2 | 21 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | 15 |
| Reims II | 2018–19 | Championnat National 2 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 2 |
| Reims II | 2019–20 | Championnat National 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Reims II | Total | Total | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 2 |
| Reims | 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 21 | 4 |
| Reims | 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 24 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 28 | 8 |
| Reims | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 36 | 14 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 16 |
| Reims | Total | Total | 78 | 24 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 88 | 28 |
| Villarreal | 2021–22 | La Liga | 25 | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 7 |
| Salernitana (loan) | 2022–23 | Serie A | 33 | 16 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | 16 |
| Salernitana | 2023–24 | Serie A | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | 4 |
| Salernitana | 2024–25 | Serie B | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 |
| Salernitana | Total | Total | 50 | 20 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 52 | 22 |
| Lazio (loan) | 2024–25 | Serie A | 26 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 2 | — | — | 37 | 9 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 206 | 73 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 239 | 83 |
* ↑ Includes Coupe de France, Copa del Rey, Coppa Italia
* ↑ Includes Coupe de la Ligue
* 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
* ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
* ↑ Appearance in UEFA Super Cup

### International

    As of match played 15 October 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Senegal | 2020 | 3 | 0 |
| Senegal | 2021 | 6 | 1 |
| Senegal | 2022 | 14 | 3 |
| Senegal | 2023 | 3 | 2 |
| Senegal | 2024 | 4 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 30 | 7 |
    Scores and results list Senegal's goal tally first. Score column indicates score after each Dia goal.
List of international goals scored by Boulaye Dia :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1. | 7 September 2021 | Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo | Congo | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 29 March 2022 | Diamniadio Olympic Stadium, Diamniadio, Senegal | Egypt | 1–0 | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 24 September 2022 | Stade de la Source, Orléans, France | Bolivia | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 4. | 25 November 2022 | Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Qatar | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
| 5. | 24 March 2023 | Diamniadio Olympic Stadium, Diamniadio, Senegal | Mozambique | 4–0 | 5–1 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 6. | 28 March 2023 | Estádio do Zimpeto, Maputo, Mozambique | Mozambique | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 7. | 11 October 2024 | Diamniadio Olympic Stadium, Diamniadio, Senegal | Malawi | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |

## Honours

Senegal
* Africa Cup of Nations: 2021
Individual
* Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion: 2022
* Serie A Player of the Month: May 2023