live_tv
Livestream Starting Soon
00
Hours
:
00
Minutes
:
00
Seconds
Up next in 10
In March 2025, Yann Diomande had never played a single minute of professional football. By late October, he was scoring his first Bundesliga goal for RB Leipzig, and by December, according to a report from the CIES Football Observatory, was the fastest-rising young asset in the global game by value. This is not your usual story about the rise of a young player, this is a story about the road less travelled, spanning three continents, life changing decisions and proof that a whole new pathway to reach the top is developing in real time. This is the insane story of Yann Diomande.
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
In March 2025, Yandere Mande had never played a single minute of professional football
0:05
By late October, he was scoring his first Bundesliga goal for RB Leipzig. And by December, according to a report from the CIES Football Observatory
0:12
was the fastest rising young asset in the global game by value
0:17
This is not your usual story about the rise of a young player. This is a story about the road less travelled
0:23
spanning three continents, life-changing decisions, and proof that a whole new pathway to the very top
0:29
is developing in real time. This is the insane story of Jan Diomande
0:35
Diomande. How about this? Still going Diomande. Diomande makes it 1-0. Too much space here
0:44
Jan Diomande cuts in and finds the corner. This is the traditional pathway to European football stardom
0:52
It's a well-worn cycle. Local academy, elite youth ranks, B team or reserve team debut
0:56
and eventually the first team. But in December 2025, the wider footballing world woke up to a player who bypassed almost entirely this machine
1:06
Whilst most elite stars were being polished by the age of eight in places like Cobham or La Masia
1:11
Yandiamande wouldn't get close to anything like an elite academy setup till much later in life
1:16
Where thousands of miles away from his native Ivory Coast, he would go on trial with MLS size Colorado Rapids and Charlotte FC, both sadly unsuccessful
1:25
Still, his studies were on the right track and he was playing for Yulee High School in Florida
1:30
but he was essentially a ghost, an unknown particle in the elite scouting database
1:36
He was, though, building the mental fortitude that every player needs to reach the very top
1:41
I was far away from my family and it was difficult to live alone, he would later recall
1:45
I had to learn to control my emotions. Now I'm more relaxed and can cope better with being away from home
1:51
If this paints the picture of a sad kid in his room, well, it's not exactly the truth
1:56
Because even though his peers in Europe were playing UEFA Youth League games, Diomande was still developing rapidly, winning the UPSL Premier Division with an amateur side called AS Frenzy
2:05
And it may have been this wildcard background that would actually help him further down the line
2:10
almost be central to his success, because he had something that all of those other academy kids didn't
2:16
He hadn been overcoached or stripped almost of his flair by a rigid European youth system He plays with the raw directness of someone who learned the game in a more unrestricted and less conventional environment Now don get me wrong There pros and cons to this
2:31
Not every club sees potential. Scottish-eyed Rangers didn't when they passed up the opportunity
2:35
to sign him after a lengthy trial. But, as I'm sure you're now aware, that hasn't held him back one bit
2:41
Just redirected him a little. As in late 2024, after realising he needed to step into European football
2:46
to challenge himself, Legares, a small club in Spain, finally took the gamble that changed everything
3:00
Now, at this point, you may be wondering, as I did myself, how on earth did they find out about him
3:06
It's hardly as if Leganers have a worldwide scouting system that could unearth talent in a small town in Florida
3:11
Well, in the name of curiosity, I did some digging. As it turns out, they sort of do
3:15
through a company called Blue Crow Sports Group. It's basically an American company that owns or part-owns various football teams across the world
3:22
and puts a huge amount of money, data and strategy into all of their major decision-making
3:27
including, of course, talent identification. So take that information, add it to what we already know about Yandiam Ande's seemingly unstoppable talent
3:35
and add in the fact that this Blue Crow sports group own a controlling stake in Spanish side Legales
3:40
Yeah, you can see where this is going. The Madrid-based club agreed a deal for Diamande
3:44
and given his lack of experience in any professional setup, initially viewed him as a reserve player
3:49
but his spark was too bright to contain. On March 29th, 2025, Diomane made his professional debut
3:56
for the first team just a few months after signing against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu
4:02
To go from amateur football in Florida to facing Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr. and everyone else
4:07
in just a few months is a narrative jump that shouldn't be possible. But he didn't just participate, he stood out
4:13
Fotos captured him side by side with Mbappe, but on the pitch, he was fearless
4:17
recording a shot on target and nearly forcing a late equaliser with a burst of pace
4:21
that left Real Madrid's defenders scrambling. Sometimes all it needs is a spark
4:25
to light the ignition, and this was it. A few weeks later, he scored his first professional goal
4:30
against Espanyol and would then go on to record a couple of assists as well, all before the season was out
4:35
It's here that yet another global footballing network entered the conversation, one that I'm sure you're aware of
4:41
Red Bull. It Tonino It Tonino It Tonino It Tonino known for their ruthless efficiency global scouting infrastructure to rival anyone else
4:58
and regular diners at the most gluttonous of tables in world football the european transfer
5:04
window six months after moving to spain jan was once again on the move as rb leipzig triggered his
5:08
20 million euro release clause presenting a challenge that the player was all too happy to
5:13
take after all for a guy who idolizes cristiano rinaldo and wants to play like vinicius jr
5:18
his words not mine it's no surprise that second to the football pitch he realized that his
5:23
development also lies in the gym stating in spain i only had to worry about playing football but here
5:29
he's obviously talking about germany i have to go to the gym you have to push yourself harder on the
5:34
pitch i go to the gym to get stronger because it's much more physical here does that sound like anyone
5:39
we know so aside from all this talk of his origin story and how he ended up where he did what
5:44
actually makes him such a unicorn of a player a rarity in the modern game well again in his words
5:50
he's a player with high intensity who likes to dribble and said that in order to become top tier
5:54
he needs to score goals good god he really is a christiana regen isn't he it's no coincidence then
6:00
that upon signing him rb leipzig's director of sport marcel schaefer said that we look for players
6:04
with physical ability, who can create chances, and who can finish attacking actions. Jan is an
6:10
outstanding talent with a high potential profile. But what was interesting to me was a quote from
6:15
Leipzig manager Olivera, who acknowledged Diamandis' raw attacking threat, but also said
6:20
what's even more important is that he works for the team and is very good at counter-pressing
6:24
It's a matter of attitude, and he demonstrates that, as he ranks in the top 88th percentile for
6:29
tackles and the 97th percentile for interceptions amongst wingers, which is highly unusual for a
6:35
winger overall, but also leads into the prevailing theory that these days wingers do need to be doing
6:39
both. Just attacking isn't enough. Per the data from December 2025, he ranks in the top 99th
6:46
percentile for successful take-ons with 4.08 per 90 and the 97th percentile for progressive carries
6:52
6.22 per 90. Also, the top 92 percentile for shot-creating actions, 5.21 per 90
7:00
Amongst all teenagers in Europe's top leagues, only Laminya Mal has completed more successful dribbles this season
7:05
And if you add in all ages, only Mohamed Koudos and Kylian Mbappe have more
7:09
He is essentially a high creative winger trapped in the body of a defensive workhorse This season he has already provided seven goals and four assists in just 16 appearances including an historic hat against Eintracht Frankfurt
7:21
He became the second youngest player in Bundesliga history to achieve that feat
7:25
trailing to a record that was set back in 1965. But it's not all good, and in the case of providing a balanced argument
7:33
there's also a few negatives to his game too. His passing in the final third has been somewhat lacklustre
7:37
with 0.1 expected assists per game and only 3.5 progressive passes per game
7:43
Now, I think we take those stats with a pinch of salt because there are always anomalies or unique situations arising in a football match
7:49
But the data does come in stark contrast to his dribbling and shooting output
7:53
so it's something for him to work on. Alongside this, there was a slight worry when he was dropped from the squad earlier on in the season
7:58
for being late to a team meeting, but he's a teenager. And yes, you could point to the super-focused, never-late, shining examples of other teenagers
8:05
but hey, I'm sticking up for him and saying one, he's a teenager for crying out loud
8:10
pretty much already said that, and two, he could be doing a lot worse things with his newfound
8:14
money and fame than being late to a team meeting. Heck, I've been late to a meeting at work without
8:18
the money and fame. So the story of Yandiamande is not only an inspirational quirky twist on the
8:24
normal pathway into professional football, but it's also the story of the new football economy
8:28
and the networks within it. It moves faster, looks further afield and values unique or undervalued
8:34
profiles above all else. But what I like most about his story and him the most is the fact that
8:40
his football education that he may not have received growing up, or rather his unusual route
8:44
to the top, has shaped him for the better. It's part of him. In his recent interview with the
8:49
Bundesliga, he summed it up perfectly with an all-timer of a quote. I played in the streets
8:54
I still play when I go home, sometimes with friends. I like to say I left the streets
8:59
but the streets didn't leave me. Now, whether or not he moves away from Leipzig as soon as he did
9:03
Leganes. He may have even already moved by the time you're watching this video. It does seem
9:07
likely that sooner or later this rising star will be on to past as new because he likes a challenge
9:12
The Red Bull model financially demands that they earn and as many defenders have found out
9:18
it's almost impossible to stop him. That's all for me for today. If you like this content
9:22
we've got loads more coming up so make sure to smash that subscribe button, give us a like and I'll see you in the next video
9:28
Diomande. How about this? Still going Diomande. Diomande makes it 1-0 Too much space here
9:38
Diomande cuts in and finds the corner
#Sports
#Team Sports