The wait for the Diomande debut may be almost over. Yan Diomande, Real Madrid’s club-record signing, is in line to make his first appearance for Los Blancos against Deportivo La Coruña in the Teresa Herrera Trophy on Wednesday 12 August, according to Madrid Universal, citing AS.
The 19-year-old Ivory Coast winger arrived from RB Leipzig on Thursday in a deal worth up to €140m including add-ons, penning a seven-year contract until 2033 — the most expensive transfer in the club’s history and the headline act of Real Madrid’s record-breaking summer window. He missed Friday’s first training session while completing his medical and paperwork, and was duly left out of José Mourinho’s squad for Saturday’s pre-season friendly away at Ferencváros. Instead, he trained on his own at Valdebebas to start building match fitness.
Why the Diomande debut is worth the wait
Signed to inject pace and directness into the front line, the Ivorian is expected to compete alongside Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé once he is up to speed. Mourinho, into the second month of his second spell in charge, has been in no rush to throw his newest forward straight in, preferring to manage the teenager’s workload after a whirlwind move to the Spanish capital.
If all goes to plan, the Teresa Herrera Trophy — the traditional pre-season showpiece in A Coruña — will hand Madridistas their first proper look at the man the club broke its transfer record to sign, with LaLiga’s big kick-off edging ever closer.
