Amad Diallo (born 11 July 2002) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Manchester United and the Ivory Coast national team.
Born in the Ivory Coast, Diallo moved to Italy as a child. He joined the Atalanta youth system in 2015, where he won two Campionato Primavera 1 titles. In 2019 he became the first player born in 2002 to score in the Serie A, on his professional debut for the senior team. In January 2021, Diallo joined English club Manchester United.
Diallo made his senior international debut for the Ivory Coast at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
A winger who is also capable of playing as a mezzala, Diallo is a quick and dynamic player with a high technical ability and a good vision of the game. The fact that he is two-footed makes him a versatile player.
Early Life and Career
Born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Diallo emigrated to Italy at a young age. He started out at Boca Barco’s youth team in September 2014, where he impressed at a Christmas tournament the same year; he was the tournament’s top goalscorer as the youngest on the field. Diallo was officially registered to the team on 14 January 2015.
With a number of Serie A clubs being interested in him while at Boca Barco, Diallo moved to Atalanta in 2015. While initially starting out in the Campionato Giovanissimi Regionali Professionisti – the under-14 championship of Italy – during the 2015–16 season, Diallo quickly moved to the Campionato Giovanissimi Nazionali, the under-15 championship. With the Atalanta Primavera, Diallo played in the Final Eight, scoring against Roma in the final and helping his side win the league title.
During the 2016–17 season he played for the under-15 side, before moving to the under-17 side in 2017–18 where he scored 12 goals in 27 appearances in the Campionato Nazionale Under-17. In 2018–19, Diallo scored 12 goals and made seven assists in 16 under-17 games, and six goals and six assists in 26 games in the Campionato Primavera 1, the under-19 championship. He won the 2018–19 season with Atalanta.
In 2019 Diallo won the Supercoppa Primavera, providing both assists in a 2–1 win over Fiorentina. He scored six goals and made six assists in 25 league games, helping Atalanta win the Campionato Primavera 1 in 2019–20 for a second successive season.
Coming through the youth system, Diallo made his Serie A debut on 27 October 2019, coming on from the bench on the 79th minute against Udinese; he scored his first goal for Atalanta four minutes later in a 7–1 home win. Diallo became the first player born in 2002 to score in the Italian top flight. His first UEFA Champions League call-up came on 11 December 2019, as an unused substitute in a 3–0 away win against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Diallo’s first league game in 2020–21 was on 28 November 2020, as a 77th-minute substitute against Hellas Verona; Atalanta lost 2–0 at home. Diallo made his Champions League debut on 1 December, after being subbed on in the 68th minute against Midtjylland in a 1–1 home draw.
On 5 October 2020, Manchester United agreed to sign Diallo in January 2021, pending the agreement of personal terms, passing a medical and the issue of a work permit. The reported fee was of €25 million – €40 million including bonuses.[17] Diallo officially joined on 7 January 2021, on a five-year contract with the option of an extra year.
Diallo scored a brace on his debut for the Under-23s, in a 6–3 win over Liverpool on 30 January. He was first called up to the senior team on 9 February, as an unused substitute in an FA Cup fifth round match against West Ham United,which ended in a 1–0 Manchester United win after extra time. On 18 February, Diallo made his first-team debut for United as a substitute for Mason Greenwood in a 4–0 away win over Real Sociedad in the first leg of the Europa League round of 32 tie. His first goal for United came on 11 March, in a 1–1 home draw against AC Milan in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 tie.
On 13 March, Diallo was selected by the IFFHS in their 2020 CAF Youth Team of the Year (U20). He made his FA Cup debut on 21 March, coming on as an 84th-minute substitute in a 3–1 away defeat against Leicester City in the quarter-finals. On 11 May, Diallo made his Premier League debut against Leicester City, assisting Mason Greenwood’s goal in a 2–1 defeat; the goal was the first time in 15 years a teenager assisted another for a Premier League goal.
International Career
Diallo was first called up to the Ivory Coast national team on 18 March 2021, for their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against Niger and Ethiopia on 26 and 30 March, respectively. He made his debut against Niger, coming on as an 86th-minute substitute. On 5 June 2021, Diallo scored his first international goal in a friendly against Burkina Faso, through a 97th-minute free kick, to help his team win 2–1 at home.
On 3 July 2021, Diallo was named in the Ivory Coast Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Diallo made his Olympics debut with an assist in a 2–1 win against Saudi Arabia on 22 July.
Personal Life and Family
In July 2020, an investigation into trafficking of football players was launched by the public prosecutor’s office of Parma. Among the involved was Hamed Mamadou Traorè, a distant relative of Amad and his alleged brother Hamed Traorè, who was accused of posing as their father to facilitate their immigration into Italy.The investigation also questioned the relationship between Amad and Hamed.
On 11 July 2020, the day of his 18th birthday, the player changed his Instagram name from “Amad Traoré” to “Amad Diallo”, with a caption reading “don’t call me Traoré anymore”. In September 2020, his name was legally changed to Amad Diallo.
On 9 February 2021, Diallo was found guilty of violating the Italian Sports Justice Code in order to join the football club “ASD Boca Barco” in 2015 under the name “Diallo Amad Traorè”. He was accused of falsifying documents in order to fake a relationship with Hamed Mamadou Traorè, an Ivorian citizen resident in Italy, and request a family reunification. Diallo requested a plea bargain, with the Federal Prosecutor’s Office imposing a fine of €48,000.
Diallo is Muslim. He received his Italian passport at the end of December 2020.
Wife/ Girlfriend
Amad Diallo is currently single and not dating or in any relationship. Amad Diallo is also not yet married.
Salary
Amad Diallo earns £42,000-per-week playing for Manchester United.
Net Worth
Amad Diallo’s net worth as of 2021 is estimated to be around $1.5 million – $13.8 million (net worth estimated in 2021)
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