With 16 goal involvements for a RB Leipzig team closing in on a return to the UEFA Champions League, Yan Diomande’s debut season in the Bundesliga has already been a runaway success.
Diomande has been one of the standout new faces in the German top flight since making the summer 2025 switch from Spanish club Legánes, earning his first senior international caps with the Ivory Coast, two Rookie of the Month awards and plenty of praise along the way.
The Bundesliga caught up with the teenaged winger to discuss life at Leipzig, as well as his footballing idols and hopes for the FIFA 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA…
Bundesliga: What is the difference between the clubs that you played for and the Bundesliga?
Yan Diomande: “I didn’t know a lot about the Bundesliga before. But Leipzig, it’s the biggest club that I have played for since I became a professional. It’s a much more physical league, there’s a lot of respect because everyone here is so professional.”
Watch: Yan Diomande in sparkling form
Bundesliga: What do you appreciate the most about the Bundesliga away from the pitch?
Diomande: “Outside the pitch, the fans have respect. Here you can calmly walk in the streets and nobody bothers you. That’s something that I appreciate a lot.”
Bundesliga: There are 10 African nations going to the World Cup 2026 – how do you think Ivory Coast will get on?
Diomande: “I don’t know exactly. We’ve never reached the knockouts, everything is possible. We won’t lie to ourselves and say that we will be in the final, but we will try our best and make the nation proud.”
Bundesliga: Which player inspired you the most to play football?
Diomande: “When I was a kid, [my parents] bought me a Cristiano Ronaldo shirt, so actually he is my idol. And now I watch a lot of players – [Kylian] Mbappé, [Rafael] Leo, Vinicius [Júnior] – players that play in my position, to look and learn from them.”
Bundesliga: Nowadays you’re the idol for a lot of African kids – do you have any advice for them?
Diomande: “I don’t have a lot of experience, as I’m 19 years old, but it’s a pleasure to know that the kids want to be like me. I would say to all the young football players that want to be like me to be concentrated, because football can go up and down so quick, so the most important thing is to follow the line, and to work a lot. The important thing is to be yourself, work and continue.”
Bundesliga: Was the Africa Cup of Nations a disappointment for you, being eliminated in the quarter-finals against Egypt, even though you had such a strong team?
Diomande: “Yes, totally. As you said, with such a good team, it was difficult. Personally, a lot of things outside the pitch affected me, and to stay calm was difficult.
“I know it wasn’t my best performance, but I try to stay focused and now the World Cup is coming. I hope I will be in the team. It’s my dream, to play the AFCON, the World Cup – it’s incredible.”
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