Yan Diomande, the 125 million Ivorian pushing Vinícius aside at Real

He turns 20 on 14 November. Yan Diomande has spent only three months at Real Madrid, and the Ivorian winger has already pushed Vinícius Júnior to the bench, scored in La Liga and the Champions League, and played a key part in the win at the Camp Nou. Ahead of Saturday's trip to Valencia, here is how the most expensive signing in the club's history rose so fast.

A record 125 million euro move

On 6 August 2026, Real Madrid confirmed Diomande's arrival from RB Leipzig. According to Marca, as reported by several outlets, the fixed fee is 125 million euros, with up to 15 million in add-ons. He signed a seven-year deal running to 30 June 2033. It is the biggest transfer in Real's history, above Jude Bellingham's in 2023, and the largest fee ever paid for an African player, ahead of his compatriot Nicolas Pépé. Diomande is also the first Ivorian to wear the Madrid shirt.

His path is anything but ordinary. Born in Abidjan in 2006, he moved to the United States at 15 and joined the DME Academy in Florida. He had trials at Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Rangers without landing a contract. Leganés signed him in the winter of 2025. His first La Liga appearance, on 29 March 2025, came against Real Madrid of all teams, as a late substitute. He finished that season with 2 goals in 10 games.

The following summer, Leipzig paid his 20 million euro release clause. In the Bundesliga he took off: 12 goals and 9 assists in 33 games, a hat-trick against Eintracht Frankfurt in December and the young player of the season award. With Ivory Coast he was named man of the match in the 1-0 win over Ecuador at the 2026 World Cup, then set up a goal against Curaçao (2-0), a win that sent the Elephants into the knockout rounds for the first time.

Starting ahead of Vinícius

Arriving in a crowded attack, Diomande started out on the bench. He made his debut on 22 August at Espanyol (2-1), replacing Arda Güler. The turning point came on 10 October against Villarreal. José Mourinho started him on the left and left Vinícius on the bench, a first for the Brazilian since April, according to the EFE news agency. Diomande scored the only goal of the game (1-0).

A week later he scored and assisted against Sevilla (4-1). On 21 October, in the Champions League against his former club, he came on in the 69th minute, found the net and set up Kylian Mbappé in a 4-1 win. On 25 October he started at the Camp Nou, where Real won 2-1 thanks to an Mbappé double. Last Sunday in Santander, he wrapped up the 3-0 win over Racing with a volley from the edge of the box in the 36th minute.

As of 4 November, he had 4 goals in 15 games in all competitions. According to EFE, he has scored 4 goals and provided 3 assists since the Villarreal game, mostly from the left.