Yan Diomande has officially been handed the No. 25 shirt at Real Madrid, giving the highly rated teenager an early reminder of the expectations that come with playing for one of the biggest clubs in world football.
Real Madrid confirmed on Monday that the 19-year-old forward, who recently arrived from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, will wear No. 25 as he begins his career in the Spanish capital.
It may not be one of the club’s most iconic shirt numbers, but the number carries an interesting history at Madrid.
Before making their mark in other shirts, players such as Rodrygo, Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Junior all wore No. 25 during their time at the club. Rodrygo eventually switched to No. 11, Camavinga took No. 6, while Vinicius inherited the famous No. 7 shirt.
That number has a particularly special place in Real Madrid history, having previously been worn by club legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
For Diomande, however, the immediate challenge is not the history of the shirt but the enormous expectations surrounding his arrival.
Why Real Madrid’s No. 25 has an interesting history
The choice of No. 25 is also influenced by Spanish squad-number regulations.
Professional players at Spanish clubs are generally assigned numbers from 1 to 25, with Nos. 1 and 13 traditionally reserved for goalkeepers. The No. 25 shirt is also commonly given to a club’s third-choice goalkeeper.
Real Madrid currently have only two senior goalkeepers in Thibaut Courtois and Andriy Lunin, leaving the number available for an outfield player.
Several goalkeepers have previously worn No. 25 at Madrid, including Courtois during his first season at the club. Legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas also wore the number, as did former Germany international Bodo Illgner.
Now, however, it belongs to one of the most exciting young attacking talents to arrive at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Diomande signs Real Madrid contract until 2033
Real Madrid finally completed Diomande’s transfer last Thursday following weeks of negotiations with Leipzig.
The Ivory Coast international has signed a long-term contract running until 2033, underlining just how highly Madrid rate his potential.
The Spanish giants are reportedly paying €125 million for the teenager, with the total package potentially rising to around €140 million when bonuses are included.
The initial €125m fee puts Diomande among the most expensive departures in Bundesliga history.
He is level with Florian Wirtz, who left Bayer Leverkusen for Liverpool for €125m in 2025. Only Jude Bellingham’s €127m move from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid in 2023 and Ousmane Dembele’s €148m transfer from Dortmund to Barcelona in 2017 rank higher on the list.
Those numbers alone demonstrate the scale of Madrid’s investment in Diomande.
A dream move for the teenager
Despite the huge price tag, Diomande appears determined to embrace the challenge rather than be overwhelmed by it.
Speaking at his unveiling, the teenager described joining Real Madrid as the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition.
He also expressed his gratitude to Leipzig for allowing the transfer to happen despite his existing contract with the German club.
For now, Diomande will have to be patient as he adapts to a new league, a new country and the enormous demands of playing for Real Madrid.
But wearing No. 25 gives him a small piece of history to begin with.
The bigger task will be creating a legacy of his own.
