Success, international fame and packed stadiums screaming your name can turn into an empty shell if you don’t have the most important person to share them with. During his first historic World Cup with the Ivory Coast shirt, nineteen-year-old Yan Diomande, rising star of RB Leipzig, entrusted the columns of The Players’ Tribune a touching open letter addressed to his little sister Roxane, who tragically died at just fifteen years old.
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The text, full of deep emotion, lays bare the irreconcilable contrast between the meteoric rise of a footballer valued today at one hundred million euros and the emotional abyss caused by an unfathomable loss, demonstrating how the sporting goal has become an altar on which to honor a childhood promise.
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Childhood in Abidjan and the thousand rejections in the European auditions
The roots of Ivorian talent lie in poverty and resilience. Born in Abidjan on 14 November 2006, the striker recalled his early years in a house crowded with twenty-five people, where he secretly watched matches late at night to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo. Although adults had renamed him “Roberto Carlos” for the power of his shot, his path to professionalism was marked by continuous failures.
Diomande was discarded in half of Europe, collecting negative trials with Chelsea, Bournemouth, Rangers, Olympiacos and Crystal Palace, in addition to rejection from the second teams of the American MLS. Not even the forced transfer to a high school in the United States had managed to extinguish her determination, constantly fueled by the unwavering support of her younger sister. In the letter, the footballer recalls those moments of pure trust:
Do you remember when we dreamed of moving to France? You were the one who believed I could become the new Christian, when everyone else laughed.
The signing with Leganés and the family tragedy
The great footballing turning point came with the signing by the Spanish side Leganés, culminating in the extraordinary debut at the Santiago Bernabéu against Real Madrid on 29 March 2025. But just as the dream was taking shape, a phone call from Africa ended her existence: fifteen-year-old Roxane died of poisoning during a party, after someone had poured a toxic substance into her glass.
An unanswered tragedy that turned off the footballer’s emotions, leaving him with a sense of total apathy and pushing him to pour every bit of energy he had left solely onto the pitch. With heartbreaking clarity, the 19-year-old confessed his current state of mind:
That was the time when I still had emotions. Now I don’t feel anything anymore. Since you died, I’m just empty.
Writing has become the only means of communicating an otherwise unspeakable pain:
I wrote this because I want you to know that I will make sure you continue to live. I will make your name known to the whole world.
The letter ends with a solemn oath:
I will prove you were right, or I will die trying.
A 100 million star on the world stage
The summer transfer to Germany for twenty million euros consecrated his status as a top player. In the Bundesliga, thanks to an impeccable work ethic that earned him the nickname “German”, the attack winger won the best rookie of the season award with 12 goals and 8 assists, attracting the sights of battleships such as Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.
After making his debut for the national team in October 2025, scoring in the resounding 7-0 against Seychelles, Diomande is now preparing to tread the world championship stage following in the footsteps of icons such as Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré. Proud of the shirt he wears, Yan wanted to reassure Roxane one last time:
Your brother will play for Ivory Coast, like Drogba, like Yaya, like Gervinho.
Every shot and every goal will be dedicated to proving to the world that his first, irreplaceable fan was absolutely right.
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