BRAHIM DÍAZ IN FOCUS

He’s just 21 years old but has been on the books of Manchester City, Real Madrid and now AC Milan. Born on 3 August 1999, Brahim Díaz is a new player at Coach Pioli’s disposal. A Spaniard of Moroccan origin, he has signed for the Club on a loan deal.

Díaz came through Malaga's youth ranks, the city where he was born. After catching the attentions of Manchester City, he signed for the English club in 2013. While in Manchester, he became a prominent figure in the Citizens’ youth academy and eventually went on to make his first-team debut on 21 September 2016 in the League Cup against Swansea. His first Champions League match then came on 21 November 2017 against Feyenoord, while he made his first Premier League appearance on 20 January 2018 against Newcastle. In January 2019, Real Madrid paid €17 million to secure his services. Despite Zinedine Zidane being a great admirer, he struggled to make his mark at Los Blancos, not helped by the stiff competition for places. During the 2019/20 season, he made ten appearances for the Spanish champions, scoring once and providing one assist.

CHARACTERISTICS
Capable of playing as a wide attacker, a playmaker or a second striker, Brahim Díaz can play with both his left and right. Blessed with great dribbling ability and excellent at manoeuvring out of tight spaces, his low centre of gravity means that he’s able to escape the attentions of opposition players. While he isn’t the tallest of players, he’s very quick and has remarkable technical ability, something he’s able to exploit, irrespective of whether he’s on the shoulders of or alongside those playing up front. With the ball between his feet, he’s an inventive player and is just as capable of conjuring up a shooting chance for himself as he is of setting up his teammates.

As for his international career, he was a key figure for Spain’s U17 side at the European Championship in 2016: he scored three times and provided one assist in six matches, including a goal in the final, although the Spaniards went on to lose to Portugal on penalties. He then played eight times for the U19s, setting up a teammate to score on two occasions in eight appearances. At just 18 years of age, he featured for his country’s U21 side as Spain ran out 3-0 winners against Italy on 1 September 2017.

Here are some statistics relating to Brahim Díaz:

• Brahim Díaz is the only player born after 01/01/1999 to have played at least five matches in La Liga and the Premier League. He’s also one of ten players born after 01/01/1999 to have made at least five appearances in two of the Top 5 European leagues.
• In the past two seasons, Brahim Díaz is the third youngest player to find the net for Real Madrid in the league, with only Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo having done the same at a younger age.
• In the last ten seasons, only five players have provided an assist on their first start for Real Madrid in the league: Brahim Díaz (the last to do so), Chicharito, Toni Kroos, Isco and Esteban Granero.
• Brahim Díaz was the third youngest player to score and provide at least one assist during the 2018/19 La Liga campaign, with only Bryan Gil and Ferran Torres achieving the same at a younger age.

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