Diomande Equals Obafemi Martins’ Champions League Feat In Madrid’s 4-1 Win Over Leipzig
Real Madrid winger Yan Diomande wrote his name into the history books in the Champions League on Wednesday night as the La Liga giants thrashed RB Leipzig 4-1 at the Bernabeu.
The 19-year-old Ivorian came off the bench in the 70th minute against his former club and changed the game in just 17 minutes — providing an assist for Kylian Mbappe for Madrid’s third, before scoring himself in the 87th minute to seal the 4-1 win.
With that, Diomande — aged 19 years, 11 months, seven days – became the youngest African player to both score and assist in a single UEFA Champions League match since Obafemi Martins did it for Inter against Arsenal on September 17, 2003.
Martins that night at Highbury — he was 18 years, 10 months — scored one and set up another as Inter stunned Arsenal 3-0.
Now, 23 years later, Diomande has equaled the feat achieved by the former Super Eagles star.
Diomande joined Real Madrid in August 2026 from RB Leipzig for a reported €125m + €15m add-ons — making him the most expensive African player ever and Real Madrid’s record signing.
It was a difficult start — criticized for his decision-making and labelled a “work in progress” by Jose Mourinho.
“He’s got a lot of room for improvement; he’s young, naive,” Mourinho said after the game against Sevilla at the weekend.
Diomande has now contributed six goals/assists in his last four matches for Real. Last weekend vs Sevilla he became the youngest Real Madrid player this century to score and assist in the same La Liga match — beating Jude Bellingham’s record (20 years 51 days).
The winger will hope to replicate his recent impressive form this weekend when Madrid face La Liga champions Barcelona in the El Clasico.
By James Agberebi
James Agberebi is a sports content creator and analyst with a passion for football and other sports. He writes sports news, match reports, and analysis to keep fans informed about the latest developments in the sporting world. James has covered international matches involving both Nigeria’s men’s and women’s national teams. His experience covering Nigerian football gives him a good understanding of the game and the teams he writes about. Through his work with Complete Sports, James shares sports updates, match coverage, and analysis with readers in Nigeria and around the world.
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