Brahim Abdelkader Díaz (; ar, إبراهيم عبد القادر دياز; born 3 August 1999), known as Brahim Díaz or simply Brahim, is a Spanish professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as an
attacking midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
or
right winger for
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
club
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
.
Club career
Manchester City
Brahim began his career at his hometown club
Málaga, before moving to
Manchester City in 2015 as a 16-year-old for an initial £200,000 fee.
On 21 September 2016, Díaz made his first-team debut for City, coming on as an 80th-minute
substitute to replace
Kelechi Iheanacho
Kelechi Promise Iheanacho () (spelled ''Ịheanachọ'' in Igbo) (born 3 October 1996) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Leicester City and the Nigeria national team.
Iheanacho began his senior career a ...
in an
EFL Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by th ...
tie against
Swansea City
Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
. Five days later, he signed his first professional contract with City, for three years.
On 21 November 2017, Brahim made his
Champions League debut against
Feyenoord in a
group stage
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
match, coming on in injury time for
Raheem Sterling
Raheem Shaquille Sterling (born 8 December 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger and attacking midfielder for club Chelsea. Born in Jamaica, he represents the England national team.
Born in Jamaica to Jamaican parents, S ...
. On 19 December 2017, Brahim made his first club start, playing for 88 minutes against
Leicester City in the
League Cup. He made his
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
debut on 20 January 2018, in a 3–1 victory over
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional Association football, football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football league system, English football. The club was ...
. and on 13 May, he received a winner's medal after appearing sporadically in four more league games over the season.
On 5 August 2018, Brahim played the final 15 minutes in place of
Phil Foden a 2–0 win over
Chelsea in the
2018 FA Community Shield
The 2018 FA Community Shield (also known as The FA Community Shield supported by McDonald's for sponsorship reasons) was the 96th FA Community Shield, an annual football match played between the title holders of the Premier League and FA Cup. It ...
.
Later that season, Brahim would score his first career goal for City, netting both times in a 2–0 win over
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandswo ...
on 1 November.
Real Madrid
Following intense transfer speculation, coupled with his contract with Manchester City due to expire in June 2019, Brahim joined
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
on 6 January, for a transfer fee of £15.5 million (€17 million). His contract, which runs until 2025, also includes potential add-ons, which could see the value of the transfer to rise to £22 million (€24 million). The transfer also includes clauses which stipulates a 15 per cent sell-on fee to be received by City, which would rise to 40 per cent should Brahim depart Madrid and transfer to "
another Manchester club".
2018–20: First season in Spain and La Liga title
He made his debut on 9 January 2019, coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 victory over
Leganés
Leganés () is a city in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Considered part of the Madrid metropolitan area, it is located about 11 km southwest of the centre of Madrid. , it has a population of 188,425, making it the region's fifth most popul ...
in the
Copa del Rey
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
. His league debut came four days later, when he again came in as a substitute in a 2–1 win over
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vi ...
. He scored his first goal on 12 May 2019, in a 1–3 defeat at
Real Sociedad.
He made six appearances during the league season, as Real Madrid won the
2019–20 La Liga.
2020–23: Loan to AC Milan and Serie A champion
On 4 September 2020, Real Madrid announced that Brahim would be loaned out to
AC Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 season ...
for the duration of the
2020–21 season. On 27 September, he scored his first goal in a 2–0 away win over
Crotone
Crotone (, ; nap, label= Crotonese, Cutrone or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Calabria, Italy. Founded as the Achaean colony of Kroton ( grc, Κρότων or ; la, Crotona) in Magna Graecia, it was known as Cotrone from the Middle Ages unti ...
. On 9 May 2021, he scored a goal in a 3–0 away win over
Juventus. After the 2020–21 season, he was loaned for another two years to AC Milan with a buyout option. On 15 September 2021, he scored his first Champions League goal against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
in a 3–2 defeat in the
2021–22 Champions League group stage.
On 8 October 2022, Brahim scored his second goal against Juventus in a
league game, finishing after a run to double the advantage as he seized a loose pass and knocked it around the Juventus defender
Leonardo Bonucci
Leonardo Bonucci (; born 1 May 1987) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back and captains both club Juventus and the Italy national team. Known for his technique and ball-playing ability, he is regarded as one of the ...
to get through on goal, and then finished past goalkeeper
Wojciech Szczęsny.
On 14 February 2023, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over
Tottenham Hotspur in the
Champions League round of 16. The 23-year-old, dubbed “sensational” by the media, has been reliable, if not spectacular, in the
2022–23 season, contributing four goals and two assists in 23 games.
2023–present: Return to Real Madrid
On 10 June 2023, Real Madrid announced Brahim's return from a three-season loan at AC Milan, and upon his return, he signed a contract extension with the club until June 2027, succeeding the departing
Marco Asensio. On 27 September, he scored his first goal since his return, contributing to a 2–0 triumph over
Las Palmas
Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spain, Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean.
It is the capital (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife), the most populous city in th ...
during a La Liga game at the
Santiago Bernabéu. He was subsequently awarded the Man of the Match title. On 8 November, he scored his first Champions League goal for Real Madrid, by netting the opener in a 3–0 victory over
Braga
Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (i ...
, which secured his club's qualification to the knockout phase.
On 6 January 2024, Brahim scored his first
Copa del Rey
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
goal in a match against
Arandina, contributing to a 3–1 victory for Real Madrid. In the
Supercopa de España
The Supercopa de España or the ''Spanish Super Cup'' is a super cup tournament in Spanish football. Founded in 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2019–20 by four teams: the winners and runners-up of ...
semi-final on 10 January at
KSU Stadium in Riyadh, Brahim clinched a dramatic victory for Real Madrid over
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in ...
with a last-minute goal, making the score 5–3 in a match that extended into extra time. His decisive goal came as Atlético's goalkeeper
Jan Oblak advanced for a corner, staying in Real Madrid's half after a throw-in, allowing Brahim to score from just inside the halfway line and secure Real Madrid's place in the final.
A month later, on 13 February, in the
Champions League round of 16 first leg match, Brahim scored the only goal for Real Madrid against
RB Leipzig
RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red B ...
at the
Red Bull Arena, securing a 1–0 victory with a 49th-minute left-footed curler past Leipzig goalkeeper
Péter Gulácsi after skillfully evading multiple defenders, earning him the Man of the Match award in a compound accomplishment.
International career
Spain
Brahim is a youth international for Spain, and made his first appearances at age 16, where he received praise for his performances for Spain's U17s in the
2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship
The 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship was the 15th edition of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship (34th edition if the Under-16 era is included), the annual European international youth football championship contested by the men's under- ...
.
[
Due to the isolation of some national team players following the positive ]COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...
test of Sergio Busquets, Spain's under-21 squad were called up for the international friendly against Lithuania on 8 June 2021. Brahim made his senior debut in the match and scored the second goal in a 4–0 victory against Lithuania.
Morocco
On 27 January 2023, it was announced that Brahim planned to switch allegiances to the Morocco national team. In October 2023, ''Marca Marca may refer to:
Places
* Marca, Sălaj, a commune in Sălaj County, Romania
* Marca, a tributary of the Barcău in Sălaj County, Romania
* an alternative name for Merca, Somalia
* Marca District, in the province Recuay, Peru
* Marçà, a vil ...
'' reported that Brahim had decided to represent Morocco, with some administrative details related to change in nationality being resolved. However, he was not called up by coach Walid Regragui
Hoalid Regragui (born 23 September 1975), known as Walid Regragui ( ar, وليد الركراكي, Walīd ar-Ragrāgī), is a Moroccan professional football manager and former player who played as a right-back. He is the head coach of the Mo ...
for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, due to a pre-established agreement.
Personal life
Brahim, as he was born in Spain to a Spanish mother and a Moroccan father, was also eligible to play for Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...
.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Brahim goal''[
]
Honours
Manchester City
* Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
: 2017–18
* EFL Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by th ...
: 2017–18
* FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier L ...
: 2018
Real Madrid
* La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
: 2019–20
* Supercopa de España
The Supercopa de España or the ''Spanish Super Cup'' is a super cup tournament in Spanish football. Founded in 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2019–20 by four teams: the winners and runners-up of ...
: 2023–24
AC Milan
* Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...
: 2021–22
Spain U17
* UEFA European Under-17 Championship runner-up: 2016
Individual
* Serie A Goal of the Month: October 2022
* AC Milan Player of the Month: October 2022
* Real Madrid Player of the Month: December 2023
References
External links
Profile
at the Real Madrid CF website
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diaz, Brahim
1999 births
Living people
Footballers from Málaga
Spanish men's footballers
Spain men's youth international footballers
Spain men's under-21 international footballers
Spain men's international footballers
Men's association football forwards
Málaga CF players
Manchester City F.C. players
Real Madrid CF players
AC Milan players
Premier League players
La Liga players
Serie A players
Spanish expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Spanish sportspeople of Moroccan descent
Moroccan people of Spanish descent