Real Madrid’s €140m signing Yan Diomande and his extraordinary rise from Spain’s fifth tier

When then-Leganes manager Borja Jimenez first heard about Yan Diomande, he was told they had found the next Lionel Messi. Jimenez, who coached the Spanish club from 2023 to 2025, had heard that kind of thing before. Club presidents often tell managers they have discovered a special talent, show them a few videos and wait for their reaction. That was the case in this instance, with Jimenez and former Leganes chief Jeff Luhnow. But most young hopefuls never make it to the professional ranks, and if they do, they don’t come remotely close to emulating Messi, so Jimenez did not…