Abobo, who has taken over Portugal and is poised to astonish the whole European soccer community, is a nugget. The way Ousmane Diomandé has begun the season is further evidence of the major clubs’ interest in him.
Between 2020 and 2023, Ousmane Diomandé accomplished a remarkable achievement by ascending from the Ivorian third division to the top of the Portuguese Liga. He was essentially a product of Abidjan’s Olympic Sport d’Abobo, where he played for the Ivorian team until FC Midtjylland saw him.
Sporting Lisbon is now thrilled with him and moved quickly to purchase him for about 8 million euros, six months after his successful loan stint in Portugal’s second division. The Danish team must have summoned the young Ivorian back from loan to accept one of the various proposals for Ousmane Diomandé after realizing he was developing much quicker than they had anticipated.
Consequently, Sporting CP now has the player that many of the best teams in Europe are vying for. Not only is he doing even better, rival teams are still envious of him. Ousmane Diomandé joined the Lisbon club at the close of the previous winter transfer window, and he soon established himself and made his way into the starting lineup.
For his age, the right-handed defender’s physique is remarkable, making him unbeatable in duels. “Diomandé plays with both feet and is physically very strong,” according to his coach Ruben Amorim. The Ivorian is associated to unconventional teams like Manchester City primarily because, in addition to his first-team defensive prowess, he demonstrates technical comfort in resuming play and holding the ball under pressure. In addition, he is a flexible right-sided defender.
The 19-year-old defender’s future is not a concern for Amza Gamal, President of the Abobo club: “I’m convinced that Ousmane Diomandé will continue to progress and become one of the best central defenders in the world.”
Ousmane Diomandé celebrated his first cap with Les Éléphants in September after an outstanding 2023, and in December, he was included on the final list of outstanding young players to win the Golden Boy award. He was not, however, chosen by CAF to be one of the ten contenders for the title of Best Young African Player.
The Ivorian international just won his prize as Portugal’s Liga’s finest defender of the month in October. This indicates that he is off to the same start as the previous season in the 23–24 league. Even more motivation to draw elite teams’ attention in the next mercato.
His current deal has a release clause of around 80 million euros, and it is valid until 2027.For the AFCON home leg, Côte d’Ivoire won’t have as much to worry about defensively in the meantime.
