Brahim Diaz makes his case as Real Madrid’s €125m signing waits for a start

Brahim Diaz has strengthened his claim for a regular starting place on the right wing after an influential performance for Real Madrid against Inter Milan, while 125m-euro signing Yan Diomande continues to wait for his first start.

The Ivory Coast player joined Real Madrid from RB Leipzig around a month ago, but has so far made only 83 minutes of appearances in La Liga. That represents 23% of the 360 minutes played by the club in the competition, despite the number of absences affecting Jose Mourinho’s squad.

The Champions League meeting with Inter appeared to offer Diomande the ideal opportunity to make his first start. However, the Portuguese manager opted to delay his introduction to the starting XI.

“Diomande arrived on the final day of the transfer window and he has to progress step by step,” Mourinho said before the match.

Competition for the position has also become increasingly intense. A role that had previously lacked depth now includes several candidates, with Arda Guler among the leading options after starting three of the four matches in which he was available.

Diaz, Rodrygo following his return from injury and Endrick are also competing for minutes on the right.

Diaz was handed his second start of the season against Inter, with Real Madrid missing several players, most notably Rodrygo. Endrick had already recovered, but Mourinho nevertheless selected the Morocco international on the right flank.

The decision quickly appeared justified.

As Real Madrid were forced back by Inter’s pressure, Diaz provided an important outlet and helped shift the momentum in his team’s favour. His most significant contribution came after Real Madrid pressed close to the Inter penalty area.

Diaz recovered the ball and played it through to Kylian Mbappe, who took advantage of the movement, went through one-on-one with the goalkeeper and scored to put Real Madrid ahead.

The Morocco international could have finished the match with three assists. After an impressive individual run, he supplied Jude Bellingham with another chance, before later putting Mbappe in front of goal. Neither opportunity was converted.

Diaz continued to contribute defensively, maintained his pressing duties and tried to help Real Madrid add a third goal before being substituted.

With only 10 minutes remaining, Mourinho replaced him with Diomande. Diaz left the Santiago Bernabeu to widespread praise after being one of Real Madrid’s best performers on the night.

Diomande was unable to make a similar impact during his time on the pitch. The Ivorian attempted several individual moves, but none developed into a clear contribution.

The balance of the contest has therefore changed since the beginning of the season. Diomande initially appeared to be the leading candidate for increased playing time, but circumstances have now placed him in a direct and open battle with Diaz for the right-wing position.