2026 World Cup: Diomande’s letter to his late little sister moves everyone
Ivory Coast star Yan Diomande moved everyone with an open letter to his sister Roxane, who died at the age of 15 in 2025: “Dear Roxane, do you remember when someone bought me a fake Manchester United jersey and I wrote ‘Ronaldo 7’ on it with a black marker? We didn’t know if we were rich or poor. We only knew happiness”—so begins the letter published by “The Players Tribune.”— Do you remember when I was given my first real soccer cleats and I slept in them?”
“As a kid, I always played in those white plastic sandals. Even now, when I go home, I still play in them. It’s our tradition. Do you remember when I tried out for Bournemouth? For Chelsea, Rangers, Olympiacos, Crystal Palace? Even Eze and Olise came up to me after practice and said, ‘Hey, kid, you’re really good.’ But they didn’t sign me anyway. Not even the MLS reserve teams wanted me. I didn’t even know why.”
“They never gave me an explanation. The adults took care of everything. They took me all over Europe, and everyone kept turning me down. My visa had expired. My dream was over. They sent me back to Africa, and we cried together. You were the one who never stopped believing in me. A few weeks later, I signed with Leganés, and we shed different kinds of tears. Back then, I still felt emotions. Now I don’t feel anything anymore. It’s as if I’m no longer human. Ever since you died, I’ve been empty.”
“I don’t think I shed a single tear the day they told me you were gone. I was in shock. It was a few weeks after my debut with Leganés. Who makes their debut at 18 against Real Madrid? It was crazy. A dream come true. And then it turned into a nightmare.”
The 19-year-old Ivorian forward is one of the stars of the World Cup: “Your brother will play for the Ivory Coast, just like Drogba, just like Yaya, just like Gervinho. I don’t even see it as a game. I see it as a stage. This is my chance to show the whole world what you saw in me. Every time I score, I’ll make sure everyone knows your name. I’ll make sure they don’t forget you. You always said I could be better than Cristiano. If I see him, I’ll say hello for you. I’ll do what you predicted—I swear it. Even before I had real soccer cleats, you were already telling everyone, ‘My brother is going to be the best in the world.’ I’ll prove to you that you were right, or I’ll die trying. Your brother, Yan.”
