Real Madrid have made a huge investment in Yan Diomande, but those who watched the winger before his rise were already convinced that he had something special.

The 19-year-old Ivory Coast international has completed his move from RB Leipzig to Real Madrid in a deal worth €125 million before potential add-ons, making him the most expensive signing in the club’s history.

Diomande’s rapid rise has been remarkable, as he only made his breakthrough at senior level with Leganes before moving to Leipzig.

However, his performances in Germany turned him into one of Europe’s most wanted young attackers.

Now, Borja Jimenez, who worked with the winger during his time at Leganes, believes Real Madrid fans are yet to see just how much talent their new signing possesses.

Borja Jimenez explains why Diomande stands out

Jimenez spoke about Diomande on ‘El Tertulión de los domingos’ on COPE (h/t Mundo Deportivo), explaining that the young winger could surprise a lot of people once they see him regularly.

“He’s a player many people don’t know, having only seen highlights, but I think he’s going to surprise a great many people with his audacity,” he said.

That confidence comes from personal experience, as Jimenez worked with Diomande when the player was still trying to establish himself, giving the former Leganes coach a close look at his ability before the winger became a major name.

One of the qualities that impressed him most was Diomande’s ability to use both feet naturally.

“He’s a player who stands out; you can’t tell if he’s right–footed or left-footed when he’s on the ball,” Jimenez added.

That is a particularly valuable quality for a modern winger. Diomande can attack defenders from different angles and does not appear restricted to one side of his game.

Jimenez also highlighted his direct style and ability to take opponents on, stating,

“He’ll bring a lot of verticality to the game, and he’s brilliant at beating his man one-on-one.”

Diomande has already impressed coaches

Diomande’s ability to manipulate defenders is another aspect of his game that caught Jimenez’s attention.

“He has the ability to stop – that is, to bring the ball to a complete standstill and wait for the opponent to close him down, and from there he feints.”

That pause before accelerating is an important part of Diomande’s game. 

Rather than simply relying on speed, he can slow the action down, wait for the defender to commit and then use his technique to create an opening.

Jimenez actually saw this ability almost immediately after Diomande joined Leganes’ reserve team.

The former coach recalled an incident from one of the youngster’s early training sessions that left him struggling to understand why the winger was still playing at reserve level.

“Within 15 or 20 minutes of training, he’d already shown us… I couldn’t understand what that player was doing in the reserve team.”

The quality on display was so obvious that the coaching staff eventually decided to remove him from the session.