How Yan Diomande Nearly(?) Joined Colorado Rapids

Editorial – It has been nothing short of a meteoric ascent for Yan Diomande.

After leaving home at nine years of age to join the Académie Inter Foot Sud Comoé, Diomande departed the Ivory Coast at 15-years-old and joined DME Academy in Florida, where he worked under Todd Eason and flourished for DME’s affiliate team AS Frenzi. But despite leading Frenzi to the 2023 UPSL title, he wasn’t able to secure a professional contract with a number of European and MLS sides and returned home after his student visa expired. After a few months in Abidjan, Diomande then made the move to Spanish side Leganés, where he impressed enough in his 10 appearances to earn a lucrative transfer to RB Leipzig.

Diomande enjoyed a breakthrough 2025/26 season in Germany, winning the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year and leading Leipzig to UEFA Champions League qualification. He would also make his senior debut for the Ivory Coast, playing in the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup and leading the Elephants to their first-ever World Cup knockout match. It’s why, merely 17 months after making his professional debut, Diomande has become the most expensive signing in Real Madrid history, with Los Blancos paying €125 million plus €15 million in add-ons for the 19-year-old winger.

Whilst he’s already played in Spain and Germany, Diomande came incredibly close to starting his professional career in the United States – Colorado to be specific. Whilst other MLS clubs like Orlando City turned their noise up at the Ivorian teenager, then 17, Colorado Rapids attempted to sign him to a contract.

“It wasn’t until all the MLS teams came to Florida for preseason…I have a pretty strong relationship with Colorado Rapids, so that’s how I was able to get him in the door for at least Rapids to look at him,” stated Eason in an exclusive Burgundy Wave interview.

“And the Rapids were like, ‘We’re gonna sign him right now.’ Like, they knew. But I do think a lot of MLS teams didn’t care. I think the scouting network amongst MLS clubs is not the best: it’s very regionally located.”

“It’s hard for me to speak on those teams, but I do think a lot of MLS clubs, because their scouting network isn’t that vast, they miss out on a lot. Or they just don’t want to take chances on players, because, again, these coaches have to win. It’s hard for them to take a chance on a 17-year-old when he’s not proven, because those coaches still need to get results, and they need to keep their job, and so forth. It’s kind of counter; it works against one another in a way.”

“I’ve seen the word rejected on social media and, I can’t speak for everybody, but I know there were offers that were presented. They just weren’t accepted, because they were looking to go higher on things. I do know that Chelsea did have interest, I know Bournemouth had interest, I know Rangers wanted him. Even Colorado Rapids here in the MLS offered him money, but it just wasn’t the right amount, and it might not have been the right league for him to jump into. I would say there was always an offer for him. Every club that got to see him wanted him.”

“Now, could they afford what they were asking at the time? Probably not, but that’s also the game. There’s a lot of detail that goes into it, and everything has to fall in the right place for it to be accepted. Again, it’s probably hard to say that people rejected him. I think everybody really did want him, but he just didn’t have the experience, and at age 17, people are not going to take that many chances on a 17-year-old with that kind of money at whatever league it is.

“They want to see kind of more experience through that. I think now people are probably hitting themselves, like, ‘Wow, we should have put a little bit more money in it or something,’ because they’ve seen how he’s continued to develop.”

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