HP Terbaru 2023 – Yan Diomande could be the breakout star of the AFCON

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By Alex Roberts

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Still, one of the best things about international tournaments for us nerds, is discovering that one breakout star. Remember James Rodríquez at the 2014 World Cup? That’s the type of player we’re talking about.

There are plenty of them about at AFCON, but none quite as complete as the Ivory Coast’s Yan Diomande. Currently ripping it up at RB Leipzig having joined from Spanish side Leganés in the summer, don’t expect him to be in with the German club for much longer.

Wingers used to be wingers, right? They’d take on a player, excite the crowd, and probably end up putting it in row Z, but it was the thought that mattered. We don’t mean to sound like one of those ‘football was better in my day’ luddites, but there has been a sharp downturn in wide players taking risks.

Diomande is a risk taker. For those that do get to watch him over the next month or so, don’t expect him to be the finished product, just enjoy it, and you never know, the 19-year-old might cure you of those winter blues.

You’d only need to stick a game on for five minutes to notice that dribbling is by far his best asset. Ridiculously two-footed, an attribute that will be spoken of a lot over the next couple of transfer windows, he’s already completed 42 successful dribbles at a success rate of 58.3% across his 14 Bundesliga games.

For context, that’s more than Luis Díaz (23) and Michael Olise (30), who are both widely regarded as the best current wingers in the Bundesliga. Although, please bear in mind that Bayern Munich tend to keep the ball more than any other side in the league.

A combination of insane pace, balance, and surprising strength make him an absolute nightmare for opposition defenders to have to deal with, but as is so often then case, we wonder whether he has the end product to back it all up.

Diomande isn’t perfect, and he still has a lot to prove, but six goals from 13 shots on target, and 14 chances created in the German top flight is a good start. Two goals in just four international appearances is pretty impressive too.

In terms of real tangible weaknesses, there isn’t much to report on. Out of possession he’s solid if unremarkable, tracking his runner and pressing at a decent level, he’s managed to win possession in the final third six times in the Bundesliga this season.

A Premier League move will likely be spoken of in the not-so-distant future, and there will be a big question mark over whether his style will translate against sides playing a low-block. 

His directness can be a huge asset on the counter, and Leipzig aren’t a side that care much about possession under Ole Werner. If he were to join a Liverpool, Man City, or even a Chelsea down the line, he’s not great at playing that line splitting pass needed to break down sides that are happy to have every man behind the ball.

He recently became the second youngest player in Bundesliga history to score a hattrick, tearing Eintracht Frankfurt apart in RB Leipzig’s 6-0 win, Walter Bechtold still holding the record set back in 1965, for those of us who remember.

Wearing a mask because he suffered a nasal bone fracture in the 2-0 win over Werder Breman, he might as well have donned a cape in the win over Frankfurt, that’s how good he was.

Diomande got his first goal in the 47^th minute, staying alert as Antonio Nusa fell to the ground and appealed for a penalty to smash a loose ball beyond Michael Zetterer and make it 3-0 for the home side.

He didn’t have long to wait for the opportunity to get his second. Christoph Baumgartner passed him the ball just outside the Frankfurt box, and for whatever reason, the defenders refused to close him down and gave Diomande about three minutes to pick out his spot, which he happily did.

The wingers third and Leipzig’s sixth goal offers us a better idea of what he’s all about. Diomande timed his run perfectly as he received the ball from Nicolas Seiwald, rounding the ‘keeper and slotting it into an empty net.

At international level, his rise has been nothing short of rapid. He was a relative unknown in his home country before making his debut, moving to the US as a child and coming up at the DME Academy before heading to Europe as a professional.

Diomande scored on his debut, scoring the Ivory Coast’s fifth in their 7-0 win over Seychelles in their penultimate World Cup qualifier before scoring in their next game, a 3-0 win over Kenya as they secure their spot at the 2026 World Cup.

“Hearing it like that is just crazy,” he’s said of his time with the national team. “But on the other hand, it’s honestly no coincidence. It’s all the result of the team’s hard work. I’m extremely happy and very proud. Playing for the national team was my biggest dream. Now I’m one of the players in my country who’s made it. Like my role model, Yaya Touré. That feels good.”

As the current reigning champions, the Ivory Coast are one of the favourites to win the trophy once again, although Morocco, Egypt, Senegal, and Nigeria (if they can get their act together), may have something to say about it.

Diomande undoubtedly has the ability to be a difference maker for his country on one of the biggest stages of all, and the player’s first international tournament.

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(Cover image from IMAGO)

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