This former high school soccer player could be a World Cup breakout star in Philadelphia

You can find all kinds of stories in soccer, especially when a World Cup is on the horizon. But even by the global game’s standards, Yan Diomande’s story is a special one.

The 19-year-old from Côte d’Ivoire isn’t just one of the hottest young prospects in the sport. When Les Éléphants set up their base camp in the Philadelphia area this summer — including two group stage games here — it will actually mark a return to the United States for the winger.

In 2022 and 2023, Diomande went to high school in Florida, first attending Yulee High School in Yulee, Fla., before going to DME Academy, a private boarding school in Daytona Beach. He also played for the AS Frenzi club team in the semi-pro United Premier Soccer League, and won a title there in 2023.

For as much as has been written around the world about his travels, the player himself hasn’t said too much historically. So it was good to hear from him earlier this week when he sat down for a news conference with global media.

“It’s going to be good to be back and see my friends from school, and a lot of people there,” Diomande said. “So I’m really excited to be back there and play in the World Cup.”

He said he enjoyed much of his time here, but it wasn’t always easy. Some of the cultural differences weren’t to his taste, and it didn’t help that he was living alone for the first time after being raised by a single mother.

“I know I was alone, and it was difficult with the language, with the culture, but it was a great experience,” he said.

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At one point, Diomande noted with a laugh that “they don’t eat healthy” enough for his tastes in the U.S. But more importantly, he could also tell that he’d only get so far in soccer here.

“It’s for basketball, and they don’t really love football like in Europe,” he said.

Diomande was scouted by the Colorado Rapids and Charlotte FC. But he was already getting a lot of attention from European clubs, and that’s where he wanted to be.

“I don’t think it’s because they didn’t recognize the talent,” he said of the MLS scouts. “They were trying to sign me, but I didn’t want to play in the U.S. in the beginning. That’s why I didn’t agree.”

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So he went for trials at European clubs, including England’s Chelsea and Crystal Palace and Greece’s Olympiakos. He ended up signing with Spain’s Leganés, just outside Madrid. Just six months later, Germany’s RB Leipzig made an even bigger bet by buying him for around $23 million.

“Nobody was knowing me before,” Diomande said. “You don’t know one player, you put 20 million [euros], it’s a lot to buy a player nobody knows. That was a big risk for them, and thank you for that.”

The gamble has paid off in spades. Diomande’s 13 goals, nine assists, and all-around electric play this season have earned interest from teams as big as Liverpool, and offers as big as $117 million.

“I didn’t imagine to do everything so quickly like this, but of course I have the ambition and I have the vision,” he said. “I want to become one of the best players in Africa, and in Europe. But I didn’t imagine everything so fast like this … I think it’s God, plus work.”

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Some of what Diomande revealed was surprising, including his assertion that it wasn’t just his decision to come to the U.S.

“I didn’t decide to go there — I was young, and I wasn’t the one who was taking the decision,” he said. “Someone was taking it for me, because I didn’t have the age to make a good decision, so someone was making a decision for me. But they told me to go there, and I was there, and I think it was one of the best experiences for me because I was so young.”

Though he didn’t detail exactly who that someone was, he noted many times in the session that he has a team of people who’ve helped him navigate life on and off the field.

“It’s a crazy life. Everything went fast,” Diomande said. “I went here [to Leipzig as] a player who nobody knows. And they helped, the [club] staff, and of course I have a team also who help me outside of the pitch … It’s really easy when you have a good team around.”

He is well aware of the interest from Europe’s giants, and not just because he’s asked often. For now, though, he is focusing on the World Cup, and it seems he’ll take at least one more year in Leipzig before moving on.

» READ MORE: Where's the money from your exorbitant World Cup tickets going? To FIFA's $14 billion in revenue.

“Imagine they say you have to go to Chelsea or Real Madrid to do this job — you’re going to be happy and motivated to do more,” he said. Those two famous clubs aren’t officially on the radar as of now, but the point got across just fine.

“But I don’t think about this kind of thing, because I’m trying to be focused on the pitch, and because my job is playing football,” Diomande said. “They’re going to take care of everything outside the pitch. These kinds of things give me a lot of motivation, to see a lot of clubs speaking about you and stuff like this. So I’m focused.”

If he does well in the World Cup, Philadelphia could end up being a major launchpad in the next stage of his rapid rise.

The World Cup in Philly

Nine nations will compete in five group stage matches this summer, plus two more in a knockout game on July 4. Here’s what you need to know about those countries — and what those fans need to know about Philly. Click here for more.