Early career Born in
Bignona, Diarra began his senior career with
Dakar UC, becoming the
Senegal Premier League top scorer with nine goals in the
2002–03 season. He subsequently moved to
Jeanne d'Arc, partnering
Dame N'Doye on the team that reached the
CAF Champions League semi-finals during the
2004 campaign. Diarra was the team's highest scorer with six goals in the process. In the second half of 2005, Diarra was acquired by Bosnia and Herzegovina club
Zrinjski Mostar. He was initially unable to play competitive football due to paperwork issues, which lasted for several months. However, after obtaining the certificate, Diarra was cleared to debut for the club, making 13 league appearances and netting four goals in the second half of the
2005–06 season. He improved his numbers in the fall of 2006, scoring nine goals in 17 games across all competitions. In early 2007, Diarra was loaned to Portuguese club
Beira-Mar until the end of the season.
Partizan On 4 July 2007, Diarra signed a three-year contract with
Partizan and was given the number 26 shirt. He made his competitive debut for the side in a
UEFA Cup qualifier against his former club
Zrinjski Mostar on 19 July, scoring a
hat-trick in a 6–1 away victory. On 16 April 2008, Diarra netted a brace in the
Serbian Cup semi-final in what would be an eventual 3–2 away success over
Red Star Belgrade. He later scored all three goals in the competition's final, a 3–0 win over
Zemun. Throughout the
league campaign, Diarra confirmed himself as one of the club's key players, along with two other foreign reinforcements,
Juca and
Almami Moreira, scoring 12 goals in 31 fixtures, as Partizan won the title after three years. He was also the team's overall top scorer with 20 goals across
all competitions and signed a two-year extension to his contract. On 6 August 2008, Diarra scored his first goal of the season in a 2–0 home win over
Inter Baku in the second leg of the
UEFA Champions League second qualifying round. He also netted a goal in a 2–1 victory over their crosstown rivals Red Star Belgrade on 5 October. Diarra continued his good form by equalizing the score versus
Sampdoria in the
UEFA Cup group stage, on 24 October, however Partizan would go on to lose the game 2–1. He made his 50th league appearance for Partizan on 7 March 2009, scoring the winning goal in a 1–0 win against
Javor Ivanjica. In addition to helping the club defend
the double, Diarra became the
Serbian SuperLiga top scorer with 19 goals. He was also one of eight Partizan players named in the league's
Best XI. On 1 November 2009, Diarra made his 100th competitive appearance for the club in a league game versus
Napredak Kruševac, which Partizan won 3–1. He subsequently scored the opening goal in an eventual 2–1 away victory against Red Star Belgrade on 28 November. Diarra also netted the winning goal to give his team a 1–0 home win over
Shakhtar Donetsk in the last game of the
UEFA Europa League group stage on 16 December. He later bagged a hat-trick in the final round of the
domestic league on 16 May 2010, a 6–0 home win over
Mladi Radnik to clinch their third consecutive title. During his third season at Partizan, Diarra appeared in 43 games and tallied 21 goals across
all competitions.
Loan to Al Shabab On 27 June 2010, it was announced that Diarra would be joining
Al Shabab on a season-long loan. He scored his first competitive goal for the club on 3 September in the second round of the
UAE Pro League, a 2–0 away win over
Dubai CSC. On 27 October, in a league game against
Al Wahda, Diarra suffered a fracture in his lower left leg, spending the rest of the season in the process of recovering. He failed to make any more appearances for Al Shabab, before returning to Partizan in June 2011.
Return to Partizan After completing his loan spell, Diarra returned to Serbia and made his first appearance back for Partizan in a 5–0 home win over
Novi Pazar on 13 August 2011. He came on as a substitute in the 74th minute, receiving a standing ovation upon his introduction. On 28 August, Diarra bagged a brace in a 3–0 home win over
OFK Beograd. He also netted two goals versus
Jagodina on 17 March 2012, as Partizan won 4–0. Two weeks later, Diarra scored a brace against
Rad, becoming the league's joint all-time leading scorer with 52 goals. He played his last match for Partizan on 20 May, scoring the team's only goal in a 1–0 home win over
Metalac Gornji Milanovac, celebrating his fourth league title. In his four seasons at Partizan, Diarra amassed 151 official appearances and scored 75 goals across all competitions.
Antalyaspor In the 2012 summer transfer window, Diarra signed a two-year contract with Turkish club
Antalyaspor on a free transfer. He immediately established himself as the club's leading striker, scoring 13 league goals in his debut
Süper Lig season, missing only one out of 34 matches. In the following
2013–14 campaign, Diarra appeared in all 34 league fixtures and scored 10 goals, as the club suffered relegation to the
1. Lig. He helped them win promotion back to the top flight after only one season, being the team's top scorer with 15 goals in 29 league appearances (plus one goal in three play-offs games).
Loan to Göztepe On 1 February 2016, Diarra was loaned to 1. Lig club
Göztepe until the end of the
2015–16 season. He scored three times in 14 league games, as the side finished 13th among 18 teams.
Later career On 28 January 2017, Diarra signed with 1. Lig side
Elazığspor on a one-and-a-half-year contract. He penned a new one-year contract with the club on 31 August 2018. ==International career==