Yan Diomande
Personal information
Date of birth (2006-11-14) 14 November 2006 (age 19)
Place of birth Abidjan, Ivory Coast[1]
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position Winger
Team information
Current team
RB Leipzig
Number 49
Youth career
Yulee Hornets
2022–2024 DME Academy
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023–2024 Frenzi
2025 Leganés B 3 (0)
2025 Leganés 10 (2)
2025– RB Leipzig 33 (12)
International career‡
2022 Ivory Coast U17 1 (1)
2025– Ivory Coast U23 1 (0)
2025– Ivory Coast 11 (3)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:28, 16 May 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 18:35, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

Yan Diomande (born 14 November 2006) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and the Ivory Coast national team.

Club career

Early career

Born in Abidjan, Diomande moved to the United States when he was 15 and joined DME Academy in 2022, after playing high school association football for the Yulee Hornets.[2] At the side, he was named 2023 STARI Player of the Year[3] and also helped their affiliate team Frenzi to win the 2023 United Premier Soccer League Premier Division.[4]

In October 2023, Diomande went on a trial at Scottish side Rangers,[5] but ended up not signing a contract and returned to DME.

Leganés

On 27 November 2024, Diomande agreed to a deal with Spanish La Liga side Leganés,[6][7] officially joining the club in January.[8] Initially a member of the reserves in Tercera Federación, he made his first team – and top tier – debut on 29 March, coming on as a late substitute for Juan Cruz in a 3–2 away loss to Real Madrid.[9]

Diomande scored his first professional goal on 11 May 2025, netting his side's second in a 3–2 home win over Espanyol.[10]

RB Leipzig

On 16 July 2025, Diomande signed a five-year contract with Bundesliga side RB Leipzig,[11] after the club paid his €20 million release clause.[12] A month later, on 16 August, he netted his first goal for the club in a 4–2 away win over SV Sandhausen in the DFB-Pokal.[13] On 25 October, he scored his first Bundesliga goal in a 6–0 away win over Augsburg.[14] Later that year, on 6 December, he netted a hat-trick in a 6–0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, becoming the second youngest player to achieve this feat in Bundesliga history behind only Walter Bechtold in 1965.[15][16]

International career

On 27 May 2025, Diomande was called up to the Ivory Coast U23s for a friendly.[17] He made his debut for the senior team later that year and was named in the squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.[18][19]

On 15 May 2026, Diomande was selected by head coach Emerse Faé in Ivory Coast's 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[20] He started in the opening match against Ecuador, which ended in a 1–0 victory, and was named man of the match for his performance.[21] He also became the youngest player to appear for his country at a World Cup at 19 years and 212 days.[22]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 16 May 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Leganés B 2024–25 Tercera Federación 3 0 — — 3 0
Leganés 2024–25 La Liga 10 2 — — 10 2
RB Leipzig 2025–26 Bundesliga 33 12 3 1 — 36 13
Career total 46 14 3 1 0 0 49 15
  1. ^ Includes DFB-Pokal

International

As of match played 14 June 2026[23]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Ivory Coast 2025 7 2
2026 4 1
Total 11 3
Scores and results list Ivory Coast's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Diomande goal.[23]
List of international goals scored by Yan Diomande
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 10 October 2025 Côte d'Or National Sports Complex, Saint Pierre, Mauritius  Seychelles 5–0 7–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
2. 14 October 2025 Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast  Kenya 2–0 3–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
3. 6 January 2026 Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh, Morocco  Burkina Faso 2–0 3–0 2025 Africa Cup of Nations

Honours

Individual

  • Bundesliga Player of the Month: April 2026[24]
  • Bundesliga Rookie of the Month: December 2025, February 2026[25]
  • Bundesliga Rookie of the Season: 2025–26[26]
  • VDV Bundesliga Newcomer of the Season: 2025–26[27]
  • 2026 FIFA World Cup Superior Player of the Match award: (Côte d'Ivoire x Ecuador)[28]

References

  1. ^ a b "Diomande, Yan". DME Sports. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  2. ^ "DME's Yan Diomande Named to '23 Male Players That Dominated 2023′". DME Academy. 27 December 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  3. ^ "Yan Diomande Named STARI Player of the Year". DME Academy. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  4. ^ "ICYMI: Diomande Leads AS Frenzi to 2023 UPSL Title". DME Academy. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  5. ^ "Rangers news as Ivory Coast sensation Yan Diomande arrives on trial". Ibrox News. 8 October 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  6. ^ "El C.D. Leganés incorpora al atacante costamarfileño Yan Diomande, de 18 años de edad" [C.D. Leganés sign the Ivorian forward Yan Diomande, aged 18] (in Spanish). CD Leganés. 27 November 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  7. ^ "Yan Diomande Former DME Star Makes it To The Pro's". DME Academy. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  8. ^ "Former UPSL National Finals MVP Yan Diomande Has Joined La Liga side CD Leganes". United Premier Soccer League. 15 January 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  9. ^ "Mbappé salva un mal día" [Mbappé saves a bad day] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 29 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  10. ^ "Leganés 3–2 Espanyol". ESPN. 11 May 2025.
  11. ^ "RB Leipzig sign highly rated winger Yan Diomande from LaLiga". RB Leipzig. 16 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Yan Diomande transferred to RB Leipzig". CD Leganés. 16 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  13. ^ "RBL erkämpft sich Pokalerfolg beim SV Sandhausen" (in German). RB Leipzig. 16 August 2025.
  14. ^ "An (almost) perfect day for RBL". RB Leipzig. 26 October 2025.
  15. ^ "Yan Diomande hat-trick powers RB Leipzig to 6-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt". Bundesliga. 6 December 2025.
  16. ^ "Leipzig dismantle Frankfurt 6-0 with Diomande hat-trick". Reuters. 6 December 2025.
  17. ^ SARL, NAS (24 May 2025). "Amical U23: Issa Fofana, Abakar Sylla, Malick Yalcouyé, Richard Koné, … la liste des Eléphanteaux face à la Hollande". Mondialsport.ci (in French).
  18. ^ Roberts, Alex (24 December 2025). "Yan Diomande could be the breakout star of the AFCON". FotMob. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  19. ^ Hindle, Tom (14 January 2026). "'I learned a lot' - How America shaped RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande, from UPSL to the UEFA Champions League". Goal.com. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  20. ^ "La liste de la Côte d'Ivoire pour la Coupe du Monde 2026". FIFA (in French). 15 May 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  21. ^ Isidore Akouete (June 15, 2026). "Yan Diomande : « Nous sommes ici pour écrire notre propre histoire »". Africafoot. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  22. ^ "Amad strikes late to clinch dramatic Côte d'Ivoire win". FIFA. 15 June 2026.
  23. ^ a b Yan Diomande at National-Football-Teams.com
  24. ^ "Bundesliga Player of the Month". Bundesliga. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  25. ^ "Bundesliga Rookie Award". Bundesliga. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  26. ^ "Yan Diomande named 2025/26 Bundesliga Rookie of the Season!". Bundesliga. 18 May 2026. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  27. ^ "Michael Olise ist VDV-Spieler der Saison" (in German). VDV. 2 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  28. ^ "Michelob Ultra Superior Player of the Match - every winner". FIFA. Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). 2026-06-11. Retrieved 2026-06-15.