€140 Million Transfer Fee! Real Madrid’s 19-Year-Old Record Signing Left Out: Only 94 Minutes in 5 Matches, 0 Goals and 0 Assists

On September 9 Beijing time, the new UEFA Champions League season officially kicked off. On the opening matchday, Real Madrid and Inter Milan staged a heavyweight clash, with Mourinho facing his former club at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The two teams played an attacking game, and Real Madrid eventually defeated Inter Milan 2-1. On Real Madrid’s winning night, summer signing Diomande was once again left out of the starting lineup. €140 million transfer fee! Real Madrid’s 19-year-old record signing has been overlooked: only 94 minutes played in five appearances, with 0 goals and 0 assists.

Real Madrid had 16 shots with 8 on target, while Inter Milan had 21 attempts with 7 on target. Both teams hit the woodwork once. Real Madrid created 9 clear chances and missed 7, while Inter Milan created 4 clear chances and missed 3. In the 14th minute, Inter made a mistake at the back, and Diaz assisted Mbappe for the opening goal. In the 23rd minute, Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez made a major error, and his attempted clearance was blocked by Valverde into the goal, giving Real Madrid a 2-0 lead.

In the 77th minute, Lautaro assisted Augusto for a goal, allowing Inter to pull one back. The match ended with Real Madrid winning 2-1 to make a winning start in the Champions League. Diomande is the most expensive signing in Real Madrid’s history, with a total fee reaching €140 million, but since moving from Leipzig to Real Madrid, he has not yet received much trust from Real Madrid manager Mourinho. In this Champions League match, Real Madrid’s attacking trio consisted of Vinicius, Mbappe and Diaz, while Diomande was again on the bench.

Diomande was not brought on until the 79th minute, and after coming on as a substitute, his shot from a tight angle was saved by Martinez. Real Madrid have played five competitive matches this season, including four La Liga games and one Champions League match. Diomande has started every match on the bench, playing a total of 94 minutes across five appearances, and he has yet to register a goal or an assist. Is it because Diomande is a new Real Madrid signing and has only recently joined the team that Mourinho is not starting him? Not necessarily.

It can be seen that B. Silva, Dumfries, Konate and Cucurella, who joined Real Madrid this summer, have all already started matches for the club, while Diomande has not earned a starting spot and has received limited playing time in each match. Looking at Barcelona, Gordon, who was signed for €80 million and plays the same winger position as Diomande, has already established himself as a regular starter and has completed four assists.

Diomande has still shown little so far. Clearly, he has not yet impressed Mourinho in training or demonstrated outstanding ability. Real Madrid’s expensive acquisition of Diomande was a major gamble, a 'lottery ticket' move. He joined Leipzig from Leganes for €25 million last year, had only one good season, and was then brought in by Real Madrid for a record-breaking fee. The risk of this transfer failing is significant. What do you think?