Diawara was born in France and represented the country at under-21 level before playing senior international football for Guinea.

[5] He stayed at Marseille for six months and in January 2000 he signed for club rival Paris St Germain[6] with whom he played in the 2000 Coupe de la Ligue Final.

In the summer of 2000, he was linked with a return to England with Premier League side Everton, however they re-signed Duncan Ferguson instead.

[12] Diawara played for the French national U-21 team,[14] but chose to represent Guinea at senior level.

[15] In October 2021, Diawara was named as head coach of the Guinea national football team, replacing former French international Didier Six.