‘Everything I do is for you’ – how tragedy is driving DiomandeImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Yan Diomande has been heavily linked with a transfer to Liverpool – BBC Sport understands the Reds have told RB Leipzig they are willing to pay £86m for himByDaniel AustinBBC Sport senior journalistPublished52 minutes agoWhen Ivory Coast’s teenage sensation Yan Diomande lines up on the wing against Germany in their second World Cup match on Saturday (21:00 BST), he will be the subject of huge attention from millions around the world.Just how good is he? Can he put on a show against one of the best teams in the competition? How would his speed and dribbling translate to the Premier League?But Diomande’s own focus will be on one thing – making his little sister Roxanne proud. She died a year ago, aged 15, after her drink was spiked.”Everything I do on a football pitch, it’s for you,” the 19-year-old wrote in a heartfelt and searingly honest letter published by The Players’ Tribune, external this week.
Diomande – who scored 12 goals for RB Leipzig in his debut season in the Bundesliga last year – outlined how much his sister’s belief in his ability as a footballer has underpinned his career so far.
“I don’t even look at it like a game,” he wrote. “I look at it like a stage. This is my chance to show the whole world what you saw in me.
“Every time I score, I’ll make sure everybody knows your name. I’ll make sure they don’t forget you.”
Diomande continued: “Now, I don’t feel anything. It’s like I’m not even human. Since you died, I’m just blank.
“I don’t try to forget, because I know I won’t forget. All I can do is use the pain to work harder, and to do everything we dreamed about.”
