By now, everyone on the planet knows that Real Madrid spent a record 140 million euros to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig, and while that seems to be the only thing detractors of the Royal Whites seem to want to talk about and hold over the young man's head, Jose Mourinho is as calm as it gets with the Ivorian international.
Surprisingly, Real Madrid actually started Brahim Diaz on the right wing against Malaga, and whlie they won 4-0 against the club of Brahim's childhood in that city, the Moroccan international was perhaps the least impressive player on the pitch as a whole.
Anyone questioning the fact that Diomande has not started for Real Madrid yet or even using that against the Merengues and the World Cup star would be seriously misguided, and as Mourinho attempted to assuage all of that at the post match press conference, there is one takeaway and one takeaway only that every true Madridista and believer in this club should keep in mind: Diomande is a player for the long haul.
Yan Diomande was not meant to grab headlines today
Real Madrid did not spend 140 million euros on Yan Diomande so that he could get five dribbles completed on a random August day against Malaga when Real Madrid were going to win by four anyway even with no contributions whatsoever from the right wing position without him. And if he were to struggle in six months against one of the titans of Spanish football, it would also mean very little to this team.
Obviously, Real Madrid want Diomande to contribute this season and Mourinho will have plans for him by the end of the 2026/27 La Liga campaign, but it is clear that Juni Calafat and Jose invested so heavily in this player and got Florentino Perez to sign him after his 20 goal contributions in just his first season in the lime light with Leipzig for his long term value.
Real Madrid are buiding Diomande to be a Galactico for the next 10-15 years and a truly dominant winger who can, they may hope, exceed the 50 milion euro signing of Vinicius Junior from Flamengo almost a decade ago (yes, it has been about that long).
Diomande is a gem. His athleticism, explosiveness, technical quality, skill, and end product at his age and experience level is something to behold, and as Real Madrid fans evaluate him this season, they need to keep in mind that they are really evaluating him with the next five, ten, fifteen years in mind.
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