Dia is out in front with eight strikes so far - one more than Mbappé and two more than Ben Yedder - after 10 rounds of fixtures. But what makes his early-season goal haul all the more impressive is that they have been plundered for a side looking over their shoulders at the relegation battle below.

Reims are 16^th, just a point better off than 18^th-placed Nîmes Olympique heading into their relegation six-pointer at the Stade Auguste-Delaune on Sunday, but with Dia in their ranks, they are at least all-but assured of scoring…

Back story:

Dia may have scored eight goals in eight games - seven of them starts - at a rate of one every 76 minutes this season, but it wasn't always so straightforward for the 23-year-old attacker.

Born in Oyonnax in eastern France to Senegalese parents, Dia's early hiccups in the game included his father's car breaking down on the way to a trial at AS Saint-Etienne and Olympique Lyonnais predicting he would be too small to make it. He once quit football to work as an electrician when his father took ill, and only signed his first contract with fourth-tier Jura Sud Foot in 2017 at the age of 21.

Dia was soon making up for lost time, and his three seasons with Reims have since returned three, seven and - for now - eight goals. The forward's trajectory was obvious for Senegal coach Aliou Cissé, and he was handed his international debut with les Lions de la Téranga in October.

Style of play:

Dia now stands at an athletic 5'11"-tall, rather making a mockery of OL's appraisal all those years ago, but as if often the case with players who grow into their frame late, his style of play is befitting of a smaller man.

Whether he plays through the middle or on the right-hand side of the attack, Dia loves playing on the shoulder of his marker, using his turn of pace to burst through on goal. He is utterly direct regardless of his starting position and is confident finishing with either foot once he gets one-on-one with an opposition goalkeeper.

Current campaign:

Dia hit the ground running this term, taking just five minutes to open his account in the 2-2 draw at AS Monaco on the first Sunday of the season. He has since found the target against FC Metz, Stade Rennais FC, Montpellier Hérault SC and RC Lens; and his hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Montpellier made him the first Reims player to seal a three-goal haul in a top-flight game since Santiago Santamaria back in 1978.

Watch: Highlights of Reims' Dia-inspired victory over Montpellier

What they said

"There's no point making a move just for the experience. You need to move when you're ready, when you've proved yourself, when you show consistency. You need to take your time and not move to England too quickly, otherwise you'll quickly get lost."

- Dia on reported interest from the English Premier League

"I went there almost every Wednesday over a few years but then at 13, I think, they did a wrist test to assess future growth and told me that I wouldn't grow much - because I was quite small at the time - that I wouldn't get much taller and so I didn't fit the profile that they were looking for."

- Dia on that early setback at Lyon