Yan Diomande strengthened his growing reputation with another outstanding substitute appearance for Real Madrid in the Champions League, earning praise from Kylian Mbappe and prompting warnings that Vinicius Junior risks being pushed into the shadows.
The 19-year-old Ivory Coast international scored twice after coming on in the 70th minute as Real Madrid beat his former club Leipzig 4-1 on Wednesday.
Diomande had already attracted attention at the weekend by scoring a spectacular shot into the top corner during Real Madrid’s 4-1 La Liga victory over Sevilla on 18 October. Against Leipzig, he needed little more than 15 minutes to make another decisive contribution.
He set up Mbappe in the 83rd minute before completing the scoring three minutes later, meeting a cross from Brahim Diaz and finishing under the crossbar.
The performance means Diomande has recorded six attacking contributions in his past four matches, producing three goals and three assists.
He became the first player aged under 20 to score and provide an assist in a La Liga match for Real Madrid in the 21st century. His display against Leipzig brought two further milestones.
According to Opta, Diomande is now the youngest substitute in Real Madrid’s history to score and assist in a Champions League match. He is also the youngest African player to achieve that feat in the competition since Nigeria’s Obafemi Martins did so for Inter Milan against Arsenal in September 2003.
Diomande wins over Madrid media
Diomande’s early performances had drawn criticism, but his form is now beginning to justify the record €140m transfer fee, including bonuses, that brought him to Real Madrid.
His progress has also changed the tone of the Madrid-based media. Tomas Roncero, a journalist with AS, used his assessment of the player’s improvement to issue a warning to Vinicius Junior.
“Vini, you know that I love you very much, but Diomande is breaking down the door,” Roncero said.
The Ivorian’s emerging partnership with Mbappe has also been warmly received on social media, underlining how quickly he has settled into the squad.
After the match, Mbappe tried to hand Diomande his man-of-the-match award, but the teenager politely declined it. Later, the France captain left an affectionate comment beneath an Instagram post showing him lifting Diomande after his goal.
“My good little one,” Mbappe wrote.
Their connection, both on and off the pitch, comes at an important moment for Real Madrid, with Sunday’s Clasico against Barcelona next on the schedule.
