She was barely 15 when she died unexpectedly, just as the career of Yan Diomande (19) was gaining momentum. In a particularly moving letter, the Ivorian star at this World Cup addresses his sister Roxane. “Everything I do on a football field, I do for you.”
While he impresses with Ivory Coast at the World Cup, Yan Diomande carries immense sadness with him. The 19-year-old RB Leipzig winger lost his younger sister Roxane last year, who was only 15 years old. In a candid contribution for The Players’ Tribune he talks for the first time about the loss that changed his life forever.
Diomande, who is in the interest of Liverpool after a good season at RB Leipzig, describes how his sister was his biggest supporter from an early age. When others did not believe he could become a professional footballer, she remained convinced that her brother would one day reach the top. “You were the one who always kept believing,” writes Diomande, who went from CD Leganés to RB Leipzig last year for 20 million euros.
Dream and nightmare
The timing of her death added to the drama. A few weeks after Diomande made his professional debut against Real Madrid at the age of 18, he received a call from Ivory Coast where he was born and grew up in the capital Abidjan. He didn’t answer at first, until he finally got the unimaginable news.
“Your sister is no longer here,” he was told bluntly.
“It was a dream. And then it became a nightmare,” he now looks back. According to Diomande, Roxane died after something was allegedly added to her drink during a party. She was only 15 years old.
‘I can’t talk about it’
The young Ivorian admits that he still finds it difficult to cope with the loss. “Since you died, I’ve been empty. Like I’m not even human. I’m writing this because I can’t talk about it.”
Football is the only place where he finds peace. “The field is the only place where I still feel at home. Everything I do on a football field is for you.”
In the meantime, the former Leganés player became one of the Bundesliga’s brightest talents at RB Leipzig, where he scored 13 goals and 10 assists in 36 games last season. A transfer to the Premier League beckons after the World Cup, but wealth or fame no longer mean much, according to Diomande. His greatest motivation is to ensure that his sister’s name is never forgotten.
“I will make sure the whole world knows your name,” he concludes. “Everything you predicted came true.”
Diomande was named Man of the Match on Monday after the 1-0 win over Ecuador. Ivory Coast will play in the group phase against Germany (Saturday, 10 p.m.) and Curaçao (Thursday, 10 p.m.).