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Yan Diomande: €100m Arsenal target's rise to stardom fuelled by tragedy
Tom Weber
- Updated: 10 Nov 2025 20:34 GMT
- 5 min read
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Arsenal and Chelsea target Yan Diomande had to overcome adversity to reach football's elite, and his rise to stardom at RB Leipzig is fuelled by a heartbreaking personal tragedy.
The 18-year-old wonderkid is tearing up the Bundesliga at present. At the weekend, Diomande netted his fourth goal of the season and his third in as many games. His three assists have also come in his last three outings.
A purple patch or a sign of things to come? Time will tell, but Diomande is currently living up to the hype. Eyebrows were raised when Leipzig splashed €20 million on a teenager from Spanish second-tier side Leganes in the summer.
Current ETV
Yan Diomande
F (L)
RB Leipzig
Yan Diomande
F (L)
RB Leipzig
ETV Range
€22.8M - €27.8M
However, the Ivorian has quickly become a household name in German football and is already being tipped for bigger and better things. Arsenal and Chelsea are both linked with him, while reports in Germany suggest that Leipzig have slapped a €100 million price tag on his head.
To get to this level, Diomande had to overcome more adversity than most. At one point, the young winger was not deemed good enough to suit up for Major League Soccer clubs, but soon, he could be playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Diomande's rise fuelled by tragedy
By his own admission, Diomande has spent half of his life away from his parents in the Ivory Coast. At age 10, he moved out of his childhood home and eventually ended up in the United States.
"My parents didn't have much money," he recently told BILD. "I had to leave home at 10 to be able to play football. Later, I also lived alone in the USA for two years."
After playing for the Yulee Hornets, a boys' high school soccer team in Florida, Diomande enrolled in the Daytona Beach-based DME Academy, where he caught the eyes of scouts. He also featured for DME's affiliate AS Frenzi in the amateur UPSL.
After unsuccessful trials with MLS sides Colorado Rapids and Charlotte FC, as well as Scottish giants Rangers and clubs in England and Greece, the teenager signed for Leganes in Spain.
However, shortly before his move back across the pond, a life-changing tragedy befell Diomande and his family when his younger sister passed away. "My little sister died shortly before I signed my contract in Spain," he explained last month.
He made his professional debut in March of this year and scored his first goal in May, after which he was overcome by emotion. "I promised my mother I would dedicate my next goal to her. I don't usually like to show my emotions, but after scoring, it just poured out. My sister is still on my mind. I play for her."
"You know you are in my heart and my tears flow every day, they will never stop," Diomande wrote in an Instagram story after his goal. "May your soul rest in peace, little sister. I love you."
Because he left home at such a young age, the youngster says that he is used to loneliness. “Being on my own is normal for me now. I’ve lived almost half my life without my parents. That makes me all the more happy to be able to help my family through football and my career. So it’s okay this way, the team is my surrogate family.”
Diomande's rapid rise hasn't gone unnoticed in his native Ivory Coast. The Abidjan-born winger made his senior debut for his country last month and scored in both of his outings.
Barring any injury, he is likely to be part of the Ivory Coast's squads for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations and the 2026 World Cup. If he keeps up his current form, his inclusions will be greatly merited.
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