One goal, one assist, and involvement in all four of Real Madrid's goals: Yan Diomandé took advantage of Vinicius Jr's absence to deliver an outstanding performance against FC Sevilla (4-1) on Sunday in La Liga. In Spain, this display reignites the debate over the rivalry between the two wingers.
Positioned on his usual left flank, the Ivorian international quickly justified the trust placed in him. He first assisted Arda Güler for the opening goal, then participated in the build-up to Mbappé's goal. He later won the penalty converted by the Frenchman before scoring the fourth goal himself. It was a particularly successful evening for a player still in the learning phase at this elite level.
The Spanish press also highlights his ability to create differences with the ball. Statistics reported by Iberian media indicate 30 successful dribbles out of 45 attempts for Diomandé this season, compared to 16 out of 38 for Vinicius Jr, despite the Ivorian playing nearly 200 minutes less.
These figures support the idea that the young winger could gradually close the gap with the Brazilian in the hierarchy. Signed for a high price, Diomandé is beginning to show promising signs and proving that he can contribute both to creation and finishing.
However, his coach José Mourinho remains cautious. While he described Diomandé's performance as excellent, he reminded that the player still needs to work on his finishing and learn to better analyze certain offensive situations. The coach nonetheless sees potential in him comparable to that of Vinicius in his early days at Real.
For Yan Diomandé, the challenge now is to confirm this performance. His display against Sevilla offers him an opportunity to earn Mourinho's lasting trust as the Clasico against FC Barcelona approaches. The Spanish press is already closely following this promising competition.
