EXCLUSIVE – Discovering Yan Diomande: “The players tried to foul him but couldn’t. On the day he was supposed to leave, he hid around the campus for hours. I heard he was a huge fan of…”

Yan Diomande is one of the most promising footballers in the world, a genuine gem. We’re talking about a 19-year-old for whom Liverpool submitted an offer (rejected) of €90+10 million, a monstrous figure for a player who has played barely one full season at the professional level. Yet, according to several experts, the Reds or PSG (the other club interested in the Ivorian) won’t have any qualms about getting close to RB Leipzig’s asking price of €130 million.

Who Yan actually is, however, isn’t clear to many. He’s not the typical European prodigy raised in the youth ranks of some big club. He’s a kid who fought hard, very hard, to get where he is now, and who grew up (both as a footballer and otherwise) first in Africa and then in the USA, specifically at the DME Academy in Daytona, where it took his talent very little time to emerge in a flash. To find out more about him, and about his time in the USA, we interviewed Jared Antista, owner of the DME Academy in Sarasota, business partner of the one in Daytona, who knew Yan and saw him both play and look out for his children.

From the interview, it’s immediately clear that we’re not talking about a great footballer alone, but about a person with a heart of gold. A quality that’s never a given, and one that can make the difference between letting it go to your head and becoming a great champion. That’s the impression I got—but now it’s up to you to discover a bit more about who Yan is.

How do you know Yan Diomande?

I own DME Academy, Sarasota, which serves as an extension school and club of DME Academy in Daytona. We are business partners in fact. We play an annual DME Daytona vs. DME Sarasota match, and he played in one of those games—that was the first time I met Dio. He scored four goals in one half against us, and it was obvious then that he was on a different level. The boys tried to keep up to foul him but couldn’t. He was so smooth on the ball and accelerated from zero to hundred in a second.

Do you know whether, and to what extent, he followed American and European soccer? Did he have a favorite team and/or a favorite player?

I don’t know for sure, but he certainly loved soccer. In the summer we ran DME Sarasota summer camps at Daytona, and he was always on the field training or helping. I have heard he was a big Ronaldo fan.

We know he was born in Ivory Coast but developed as a player in the United States. Can you tell us his story?

DME to my knowledge, was his landing spot in the states from Ivory Coast. He came there to develop and play.

From the U.S. he moved directly to Leganés. Can you tell us how that happened? Were there many scouts/clubs following him?

He had the eyes of few MLS teams/scouts but for whatever reason, probably financial it wasn’t a fit. Leganes offered him a good deal but here is a funny story, he didn’t want to leave DME. In fact, he hid around campus for hours that day he was supposed to leave.

Compared to other players, was it obvious that he had something extra? If so, what exactly was it?

100%, from the first time he touched a ball and exploded past a defender, I knew it. He was so fast, so strong on the ball and his quickness was electric. I literally said to my head coach, this kid is the best player I’ve seen in person.

Yan stands out not only for his talent but also for his character, as he seems like a truly exceptional young man. Can you tell us what he was like as a person? Do you have any stories or behind-the-scenes anecdotes about him?

On a personal level, he was always wonderful with my own young kids, Wes and Ceci. He stayed in touch with them even after moving to CD Leganés. He was incredibly friendly, courteous, and kind to everyone around him, which really stood out considering how young he was.

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What were his main technical strengths on the field?

Quickness, aggression on the ball, speed, power and confidence all combined into one young man ready to take on the world.

You mentioned that he also acted as a mentor. Could you explain exactly how he mentored younger players and what he did?

This was more done in simple gestures, checking in on my kids on social asking how they are doing, putting an arm around them on the field at camp, juggling with the younger boys. He was very polite to us, to staff, to coaches and followed up with my daughter here and there after big games to see how she did.

Can you tell us about your DME Academy in Sarasota and about DME Academy in general? Who worked with him during his time there?

DME in Daytona is the mothership, Sarasota is an extension of that, started as a club three years back and now has two academic options for full-time commuters. We bring affordable programs to the Florida market. In Daytona he worked with Todd, Thales and Kioki.

Have you had other players who went on to become professionals?

Collectively we’ve only been around for a few years but we’ve had quite a run both in Daytona and with opportunities for players in Sarasota.
James Eliuda – George Mason
Mamadou Billo Diop: Selected 6th overall by the Colorado Rapids in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft.
Charles Dodzi – Tacoma Defiance – Seattle Sounders
Adrian Biaggi – Puerto Rican U20 national team
In Sarasota, we’ve had three players go on trials:
Lucas Turasz – 2010 – Sporting Lisbon
Dylan Honorato – 2009 – Braga
Kevn Moya Rios – 2010 – Estoril Praia

Returning to Yan, what percentage of his potential do you think he has reached so far? Does he still have enormous room for growth?

He is young, he is humble, he is hungry—I think he can be a top player in the world and I couldn’t be happier for him.

There have been reports of interest from Liverpool and PSG. Is there a particular coach or playing style that you think would suit him best?

Dio would make an impact on either team. I believe Luis Enrique could develop Dio into a top player in the world. You can see his track record developing young stars into top talent.

For people who have never seen him play, which player do you think he most resembles from a technical standpoint?

Dio is unique, he attacks confidently with both feet, look what he did against Hincapie and Kimmich. He is a young Thierry Henry.

Is there a message you would like to send him publicly?

We only spent a few times together but I am very happy for him. He deserves it. I want to thank him for his kindness towards Sarasota athletes and my children. He is a great young man.

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