Is Yan Diomande a Problem for Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho?

“I’m too old to feel pressure,” was José Mourinho’s typical José Mourinho response when asked if he felt pressured to start new signing Yan Diomande.

The 19-year-old has had a low-key start to his Real Madrid career, making the starting lineup just once in Los Blancos’s first five games of 2025–26.

That might seem quite normal for a teenager at the biggest club in the world, but Diomande is also Real Madrid’s club-record signing at $145 million (€125 million). He arrived to not inconsiderable fanfare this summer—the marquee arrival of a new era at the club under the freshly re-elected Florentino Pérez.

The president promised to keep the big signings coming over the summer, campaigning on the promise of a new “Galáctico” with stories-high posters around Spain’s capital reminding fans of the great talents he had previously attracted to the club.

It is slightly strange then that a player more expensive than Jude Bellingham, Gareth Bale or Cristiano Ronaldo has largely been kept as a bench option.

Güler Shines As Diomande Fades

Arda Güler (left) and Yan Diomande shaking hands. — Arda Güler (left) and Yan Diomande are fighting for the same spot. | Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Diomande did start in Saturday’s 4–1 win over Rayo Vallecano, but was somewhat underwhelming in 72 minutes before being subbed off, touching the ball just twice in the opposition’s box and leaving the pitch with just 0.04 xG.

It was then his replacement, Arda Güler, who laid on Kylian Mbappé for Madrid’s fourth in the victory, and the Türkiye international registered a match-high five chances created in fewer than 20 minutes on the pitch.

After the match, Real Madrid fan and journalist Tomás Roncero described Güler as “the team's guiding light”, while MARCA suggested the 21-year-old should be “untouchable” at the club. The same reports, however, have begun to question the role of Diomande.

Asked about the summer signing after the match, Mourinho seemed to suggest the teenager still has a lot of work ahead.

“He hasn't been playing at a high level for very long and has a lot to learn tactically,” Mourinho admitted. “But he has incredible potential. In one-on-one situations, passing, shooting.

“He gives us a lot of options. He can play where Vini is, on the right, Arda can play there, or where Bellingham is. Right now, I want to help him develop.”

Diomande was not brought on at all midweek in the win over Inter, with Mourinho hinted afterwards that this was to do with controlling the match.

Where Does Diomande Fit in Madrid’s Team?

Yan Diomande is struggling for opportunities. | Joaquin Corchero/Europa Press/Getty Images

It’s easy to understand the reasons why Pérez zeroed in on Diomande this summer.

Desperate to add a new Galáctico after two seasons without a trophy and his position under threat from pretenders to the throne, the only position Pérez could realistically have targeted for upgrade—without causing serious issues with his existing superstars—was at right wing.

Rumors suggest Michael Olise was the president’s first choice, but with the Bayern Munich star unmovable, Diomande emerged as the next best thing. It probably also helped that the Côte d’Ivoire star could double up as a left winger, amid the contract standoff with Vinícius Jr.

After a breakout year in the Bundesliga, the 19-year-old is not a superstar but one in the making. He has fewer than 55 games in senior soccer and only made his professional debut for Leganés (against Madrid of all teams) in March 2025.

12 goals in Germany’s top flight in 2025–26 and interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool show there is serious talent there, but he will need room to grow. Doing so under the spotlight at Madrid is not easy. Mourinho may insist that he does not feel the pressure, but Diomande—as the world’s biggest club’s most expensive ever player—just might.

As it stands, Güler—an enormous talent, whose development was a rare positive from last season—is clearly Madrid’s best option on the right side for the moment. However, it’s unlikely that Pérez will allow his new toy to be treated like a long-term prospect.

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