Yan Diomande dedicates first Real Madrid goal to late sister after emotional Villarreal winner

Yan Diomande scored his first goal for Real Madrid and dedicated it to his late sister after breaking down in tears during the club’s 1-0 victory over Villarreal on Saturday.

The 19-year-old Ivory Coast international started in place of Vinicius Junior and struck the only goal of the match on the eighth matchday of the Spanish league.

Diomande was played through on the right and finished across goal to beat Peter Gulacsi. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but VAR overturned the decision and confirmed it in the 63rd minute.

It was the Ivory Coast forward’s first goal since joining Real Madrid. He has won 17 international caps and scored three goals for his country.

Diomande’s celebration carried particular significance. He was visibly overcome with emotion after scoring, with his tears reflecting both the importance of the moment and the personal loss behind it.

His goal capped a period of improvement following a difficult start at the club. Diomande had faced strong criticism after completing a high-profile move to Real Madrid as the most expensive signing in the club’s history and the costliest African transfer of all time.

His sister died from poisoning last year, only a few weeks after Diomande made his professional debut for Leganes at the age of 15.

After the match, the forward paid tribute to her in the caption accompanying a series of photographs published on his official Instagram account.

“This is for you, my sister,” Diomande wrote.

The performance also earned him the man-of-the-match award and praise from DAZN consultant Jerome Rothen.

“He is adapting to the situation and to the team,” Rothen said. “Above all, he is getting more and more playing time and he is being effective. That is what is expected of him: efficiency, assists, goals, but also his contribution to the game.

“What he did in the first half, even though he was not decisive for his team, showed that he was the most important spark in the match. What he showed tonight, as well as giving his team the victory, was a reference performance for him.”