‘Calm down’ – Mourinho tempers Diomande expectations at Real Madrid

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Jose Mourinho believes everyone must “calm down” regarding the expectations surrounding Yan Diomande, saying the winger was never likely to “blow everyone away” immediately.

Mourinho’s second stint in charge of Madrid has started with three straight wins in LaLiga, with Los Blancos thrashing Malaga 4-0 on Sunday.

Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler were on target, with Malaga goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero also scoring an own goal when the ball deflected off him and in, following a Bellingham header.

As was the case in Madrid’s first two games of the campaign, Mourinho introduced Diomande from the bench against Malaga, with the former RB Leipzig man playing the final 25 minutes plus stoppage time.

He has only tallied 57 minutes so far this campaign, the second-fewest by any player to have appeared for Madrid in the competition, only ahead of Carlos Espi (14).

But Mourinho has warned the teenager’s adaptation process could be a lengthy one, saying fans must put his huge price tag to one side.

“He needs to take it step by step. He works hard and well,” Mourinho said of Diomande. “He’s open and humble, he wants to learn, he listens to his team-mates, he’s going to grow.

“I can’t focus on the €120m or €130m… How much did they charge us? I have to focus on a player who’s coming off a top-level season at Leipzig. 

“When you talk about a huge number like that, you think of someone who arrives and blows everyone away. But that’s not it, he’s a young guy. Calm down, take it easy.”

— Real Madrid C.F.  (@realmadriden) August 30, 2026

Bellingham was one of Madrid’s standout performers, winning six of his eight duels and having as many shots from inside the area (four) as Mbappe – a joint team-high figure.

Having tipped Mbappe or Vinicius Junior for the Ballon d’Or ahead of Sunday’s game, Mourinho put Bellingham in that same bracket and said he wanted to see the England international occupying more advanced positions.

“He’s very demanding of himself and others, and I really like that,” Mourinho said. “I agreed with him that I didn’t want to see him as a second left-back, defending – I’ve seen him do that a lot. 

“We really exploited that situation with Benfica. We’ve organised the team differently; he knows what he has to do, and he feels comfortable. 

“I’m very happy with everyone. But it’s true that in the final stretch, we lost our shape a bit at 3-0. Some stayed focused, others relaxed… That’s the feeling we all had. It’s normal that we don’t have the energy or the mentality to do it for 90 minutes. 

“I said before that at Real Madrid, there is more than one player who can win the Ballon d’Or, and there’s Jude. 

“Of course, there’s one player [Mbappe] who made history at the World Cup. But Jude, in midfield, is incredible.”

Madrid visit Real Betis for their fourth game of the season on Friday, before opening their Champions League campaign at home to Inter on September 8.

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