Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae says “good listener” Yan Diomande is ready to make a decision on his future after the 19-year-old impressed in the win over Ecuador on his World Cup debut.
Diomande has been linked with a number of clubs after an impressive first season with Leipzig, saying last week that he had always “loved” Paris Saint-Germain and revealing in February that his father supports Liverpool.
“It’s really easy to work with a player like Yan,” said Fae, whose side won their first final through Manchester United’s 90th-minute goal from Amad Diallo in Philadelphia.
“First of all, because he is gifted because he can win the game for us at any time, he creates problems for his opponents.
“He had it [Piero] Hincapie – a Champions League finalist who had an extraordinary season with Arsenal – faced him and managed to put a player like Hincapie in trouble. So we are really happy.”
2026 World Cup: Diomande to make ‘best decision’ on transfer
Winger Diomande joined Leipzig from Leganes on a five-year deal for an estimated £17.3 million in July 2025 and scored a combined 20 goals and assists in his first season in the Bundesliga.
“When we were in France for our preparations, journalists were telling me that he would sign with PSG,” said Fae.
“Today I arrived in the United States and they told me that he will sign with Liverpool, we will see.
“I think he is focused on the World Cup first and then he will make the best decision of his life.”
Yan Diomande: What winger gives Liverpool and PSG
Along with those direct goal contributions, Diomande won 75 duels more than anyone else in last season’s Bundesliga and comfortably led the way in successful drives per game, as well as recording the fifth-highest pace of any player involved.
“Besides the talent, he is a young player who has a good chance to develop,” added Fae.
“He is a hard-working kid, gets along well with the team, jokes with everyone, is a good listener and listens very much to the technical staff.
As soon as we advise him, he listens, tries to do what we ask of him, and does what we tell him.”
Diomande created most of the chances, created the best balls and had more touches in the opposition box than any other player in the Ivory Coast victory. Here are some of his key stats from CBS Sports.
| Opportunities Created | 5 |
| Touch in the objection box | 12 |
| Successful dribbles | 4 |
| Continuous carriers | 11 |
| Ground duels won | 11/15 |
World Cup 2026: Diomande in Ivory Coast vs Ecuador
Diomande said The Elephants, who are in their first final since 2014 and will face four-time champions Germany on Saturday in Toronto (21:00 BST), came into the final with a “winning mentality”.
“It’s not just participation,” he explained. “We have come to represent our families, loved ones and millions of citizens.
“That’s why we try to give everything: because of them, it’s not just about us, we don’t just play for ourselves.
“We have fans who were brilliant, who pushed us until the end, thanks to them we were able to win.
“As you keep winning, you gain confidence. That’s the attitude we have: we want to win, we want to win, we want to win. We just want to win.”
Amad Diallo: Why the Manchester United star started on the bench
Fae said Diallo did not start because of a “minor” fitness problem in training and the Ivory Coast’s tactical focus on drawing Ecuador’s defenders before targeting space at the back.
The 23-year-old also scored a late winner in his country’s 2-1 friendly win over France on June 4.
“We did not put our destiny at the feet of Amad Diallo,” explained Fae. “Amad Diallo is part of the team.
“During the qualifying stages we had many problems with efficiency, we had many chances but we did not score goals.
“Today, thank God, we were very aggressive.” Of course, against France and Ecuador, it was Amad who scored.
“It’s good for the team, it’s good for him, but we have other players who know how to score goals, some players who come with the ball until it reaches the box so that Amad can score a goal.
“To say that we put all our victories down to Amad is an exaggeration and unfair. We have a very good group, whether in defense or midfield.”
Ecuador conceded just five goals in 18 qualifying games, finishing behind Argentina and ahead of Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay.
“The fact that we have attacking players who can make a difference at any time made them fall back,” said Fae.
“As soon as Yannick or Amad touch the ball, [Ecuador dropped] back, see [defended] in pairs. We knew how to balance things in the second half and we stayed focused on not going into the first half, then scoring a goal before the end.
“In the first half we were tense because it was the first World Cup for all our players, so we had tension, doubt and fear of taking risks.
“In the second half, we came back with more open goals… [and] we made a few mistakes individually.”
World Cup 2026: Ivory Coast vs Germany ‘tough’
Germany overcame leveling minnows Curacao to win their first match 7-1 in Houston on Sunday. “They have a lot of experience in the World Cup,” commented Fae.
“They have won it many times, they have players who play in big European teams, they have a lot of attacking power.
“Having said that, we will go there to win and defend ourselves before the second day of the match, without any difficulties.
“We will look them straight in the eye and try to put our ball in the right place. We also have qualities, so we will play to the best of our ability.”
