Deomande… 72 hours made the “new Messi” a star at the Bernabeu

Before Yann Diomande became one of the most sought-after names in the transfer market, and before he was worth over €100 million, he was just a young player who had just returned from injury and was playing for the Leganes reserve team.

But what happened in just 3 days changed the course of his future completely, after he dazzled everyone in a friendly, quickly becoming a player in the Spanish league and making his first appearance in a Leganes shirt against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Former Leganes and current coach of Qatari Al-Ahly Borja Jimenez has revealed the details of the early days of the Ivorian star’s career, stressing that his talent was exceptional from the first touch.

It started with a video on YouTube

Jimenez remembers the first time he heard the name Diomande, saying, “I first heard about Ian when Jeff Luno, the owner of Leganes, showed me a home video of him on YouTube. He was about 16 years old and was studying at one of the club’s academies in the United States.”

He added in his statements to the newspaper.Brand:“Jeff told me. we have a new messi. And what I saw in that video was really amazing.”

Jimenez will never forget the first time he saw Diomande on the pitch, just a week before the match against Real Madrid on March 29, 2025.

He said: “We played a friendly match against the reserves at Butarki Stadium. Ian only played a few minutes in the reserves a week ago but I’d never seen him before.”

He added: “He dribbled past an opponent with ease in the first shot, then did the same in the second, then made a great pass with an amazing first touch, then received the ball in the box, made it for himself and fired into the top corner.”

He continued. “After only five or six shots, I called the reserve coach and said: Get Ian off the field because he’s going to get kicked in the next kick, get him off immediately and let him train with us tomorrow.”

The Spanish coach explained that his decision was not exaggerated, but came to protect the player, saying: “He only played 45 minutes because he was coming back from injury and he was much taller than the rest of the players and that can sometimes cause tension in games.

First class…and early praise!

After joining first-team training, Jimenez wanted to send a special message to the young player, but it wasn’t a technicality.

“I didn’t talk to him about football, but about behavior in the first team. I asked him to continue to perform at the same level, but to maintain the order of the dressing room.”

“I told him. you have to be the first to arrive, the last to leave, help your colleagues and understand that you are the new player. I wanted him to understand the rules of professionalism above all else.”

He confirmed that Diomande quickly absorbed the message, adding: “I wanted to be a guide for him in the first steps of his professional career, and he perfectly understood everything I told him.”

Jimenez recalled a situation that occurred after Diomandi’s first training session with the first team, saying: “We were walking to the dressing room when Dani Raba approached me and said: “This young man is amazing. I replied, “Yes, he is really great.”

The first appearance at the Bernabeu

After his brilliance in training, the technical staff did not hesitate to include him in the roster for the match against Real Madrid.

Jimenez said. “We went to the Bernabeu to get a positive result and we brought him on around the 80th minute. From the beginning, we were convinced that he is a different player.”

He added: “His first touch was a wonderful change of pace in the box before he was challenged which led to a penalty which was not awarded. From that moment on, his career began to take shape naturally.”

The former coach of “Leganes” confirmed that not only the technical side, but also the player’s personality attracted his attention the most.

He said: “He showed no fear, even when he played for the first time at the Santiago Bernabeu, a stadium that confuses many young players.

A month and a half changed everything

Jimenez believed that Diomande could have changed the fortunes of Leganes if he had joined the first team sooner.

“If he had been with us since January, we could have been fighting for European places instead of fighting for relegation, but he only stayed with us for a month and a half.”

He added: “He was a decisive player. He scored goals and changed the course of many matches. Even against Sevilla, despite missing a great chance, his impact was very clear.”

Jimenez revealed that many foreign clubs have been interested in Diomande after his value was estimated at around €20 million, which is what Leipzig paid to sign him.

He said: “I was told €20m was a lot of money and I said it would double or triple in a year or two.”

But reality came faster than his expectations as the player’s value skyrocketed in just one season when he moved to Leipzig for €20m and he is now close to leaving in a deal worth between €100m and €120m, confirming him as one of the hottest talents in European football.