Amad Diallo
Ivorian Footballer
Amad Diallo is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a winger for Manchester United.
Amad Diallo
• Date of birth: 11 July 2002
• Age: 20 years old
• Place of birth: Abidjan, Ivory Coast
• Nationality: Ivorian
• Position: Winger
• Height: 173cm / 5ft 8ins
• Weight: 72kg / 158lbs
• Wages: £42,000 per week (Unconfirmed)
• Instagram: @amaddiallo19
• Twitter: @Amaddiallo_19
The 20-year-old was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast but emigrated to Italy at a young age.
He started his youth career at Boca Barco before moving to Atalanta in 2015. After breaking into the first team at the Serie A side, Diallo earned a transfer to Premier League side Manchester United in the autumn of 2020, although the deal did not officially go through until January 2021.
Diallo has represented Ivory Coast at both Under-23 and senior level, and he made his senior debut for his country in 2021.
So, what do we know about Amad’s journey to become the footballer he is today? This is his story.
Early Life And Upbringing
Amad Diallo was born on 11 July 2002 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He emigrated to Italy when he was eight years old.
He started out playing in Italy at Boca Barco’s youth team in September 2014. After impressing when given the chance, he ended up being officially registered to the team in January 2015.
Amad Diallo (Photo: @amaddiallo19 / Instagram)
Amad’s was then snapped up by Italian club Atalanta in 2015. He impressed as he made his way through the youth set-up at Atalanta and he helped the club to win the Campionato Primavera 1 in 2019-20 for a second straight year.
Diallo’s performances had not gone unnoticed, and he ended up making his Serie A debut for Atalanta on 27 October 2019, when he came off the bench in a clash against Udinese, scoring in a dominant 7-1 win. In doing so, Diallo became the first player born in 2002 to score in Serie A.
He then made his Champions League debut for Atalanta when he came on as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Midtjylland on 1 December 2020.
Manchester United
Following his impressive performances for Atalanta, Manchester United agreed a deal to sign Diallo from the Italian side on 5 October 2020. The transfer fee was reported to be around €25m-€40m, including bonuses.
His transfer to Manchester United officially went through on 7 January 2021, with the Ivorian penning an initial five-year contract worth a reported £42,000 per week, with the option for a further year.
“I’m over the moon to be here,” Amad said after his move to Manchester United was officially completed. “I’m so excited to start here at Manchester United. It’s a dream come true and I can’t wait to start and play with the guys.
“I’m very happy to be here. I’m expecting a lot from my experience here and I’m looking forward to starting.”
Upon signing for the Red Devils, Diallo also said that it was going to be very exciting for him to link up with fellow Ivorian Eric Bailly at Old Trafford.
“Eric will be a definite reference point for me,” he said. “I’ve actually already been in touch with him over the last few months and we’ve been chatting. I’ll be asking him for advice and will be listening to all he says, and also the other players who speak French and Italian like [Paul] Pogba for example, he will be another good reference point for me.”
Amad Diallo (Photo: Screengrab)
Asked about what his goals are for his time at United, Diallo stated that he wants to win the major trophies with the English club. He said: “I’m a little bit too anxious to say this given it’s just the start [of my time here] but my dream is to win the Premier League and the Champions League with Manchester United. That is my aim and goal.”
Diallo had to wait a little over a month before being able to make his first-team debut for Manchester United. His debut for the Red Devils came when he was brought on as a substitute in a 4–0 away win over Real Sociedad in the Europa League round of 32.
Diallo scored his first goal for Manchester United in the 1-1 draw with AC Milan in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on 11 March 2021.
Diallo found his first-team opportunities at Old Trafford to be limited at the start of the 2021-22 season, with the Ivorian making his first appearance of the season when he started the 1-1 draw with Young Boys in the Champions League under interim boss Ralf Rangnick on 8 December 2021.
International Career
Diallo has represented his country, Ivory Coast, at both Under-23 and senior level.
He made his senior debut for Ivory Coast when he came on as a late substitute in a Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Niger on 26 March 2021.
In the summer of 2021, Diallo was selected to represent Ivory Coast at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Idols And Influences
Paul Pogba was one of Amad’s idols when he was a youth place, and the first photo on his personal Instagram account is a snap of himself with the France midfielder, posted on 29 December 2015.
Speaking about the day he met Pogba during the Frenchman’s time at Juventus, Diallo admitted that it was “unbelievable” to be linking up with him at Old Trafford five years later.
Amad Diallo and Paul Pogba, pictured in December 2015 (Photo: @amaddiallo19 / Instagram)
“I met him when I was a kid at that trial at Juventus,” Diallo said of Pogba. After the session, they asked me who I would like to have a photo with, and I asked for Paul. He was my idol!
“Then, when I received the bid from United and I realised that Paul was here, I didn’t have to think twice and I wanted to come here straight away. To be playing with him five years later is incredible.
“I could not possibly ever imagine it happening. But these things happen once in a lifetime and, when such occasions come along, you have to seize them. To play with Paul five years later is unbelievable, and hard to describe, really.”
What Have Others Said?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was Manchester United boss when the Red Devils signed Diallo, predicted big things for the winger following his move to Old Trafford: “As a club, we have followed Amad for a number of years and having watched him myself, I believe he is one of the most exciting young prospects in the game.
“Manchester United has such a proud history of developing young players and everything is in place to enable Amad to reach his potential here.
“It will take time for him to adapt but his speed, vision and fantastic dribbling ability will stand him in good stead to make the transition. He is a player with all of the raw attributes that are needed to be an important player for Manchester United in the years to come.”
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, speaking in January 2021, about Diallo’s potential: “If you see his clips and speak to some of the people at the club that were involved in buying him… potentially this kid could be an absolute world-beater.
“I think that’s the thoughts of Manchester United people that they’ve unearthed… I’m not going to give him that pressure of Cristiano Ronaldo but nobody knew about Ronaldo when we bought him really other than people in Portugal.
“This kid seems quite similar in that sense. if you see his clips and the way people talk about him then I think the world is his oyster if he applies himself right.”
