Amad Diallo

Amad Diallo (born 11 July 2002), sometimes known mononymously as Amad, is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for club Manchester United and the Ivory Coast national team. As a versatile player, he could also be deployed as a wing-back.

Born in the Ivory Coast, Amad 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 scored on his debut for the senior team. In January 2021, Amad joined Manchester United, and had loan spells at Rangers and Sunderland.

Amad made his senior international debut for the Ivory Coast in March 2021, in a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification game.

Early life

Born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Amad 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. Amad was officially registered to the team on 14 January 2015.

Club career

Atalanta

2015–2020: Youth

With a number of Serie A clubs being interested in him while at Boca Barco, Amad moved to Atalanta in 2015. While initially starting with the under-14s during the 2015–16 season, Amad quickly moved to the under-15 team. He 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-17s in 2017–18, where he scored 12 goals in 27 appearances. In 2018–19, Amad 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, Amad 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.

2019–2021: Senior

Amad made his Serie A debut on 27 October 2019, coming on as a 79th-minute substitute against Udinese, and scored his first goal four minutes later in a 7–1 home win. He 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.

Amad's first league game in the 2020–21 season was on 28 November 2020, as a 77th-minute substitute against Hellas Verona; Atalanta lost 2–0 at home. Amad made his Champions League debut on 1 December, after being subbed on in the 68th minute against Midtjylland in a 1–1 home draw.

Manchester United

2020–21: Debut season

On 5 October 2020, Manchester United agreed to sign Amad in January 2021, pending the agreement of personal terms, passing a medical and the issue of a work permit. The reported fee was of €21.3 million – €37 million including bonuses. Amad officially joined on 7 January 2021, on a five-year contract with the option of an extra year.

Amad 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, Amad 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 11 May, Amad made his league debut against Leicester City, assisting 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.

Amad played his first game of the 2021–22 season on 8 December 2021, starting the UEFA Champions League group stage match against Young Boys.

2022–23: Loans to Rangers and Sunderland

Amad was loaned to Scottish Premiership club Rangers on 27 January 2022, for the remainder of the season. He made his debut on 29 January, scoring the opener of the game as a starter in a 3–3 away draw to Ross County.

On 31 August 2022, Amad joined Sunderland in the EFL Championship on a season-long loan. He scored his first goal for Sunderland on 22 October, in a 4–2 home defeat to Burnley. With three goals in five games in December, Amad won the EFL Young Player of the Month award. Amad finished the season with 14 goals and 4 assists across all competitions, which made him Sunderland's top goal scorer that season, including a free kick from 25 yards in the play-off semi-final against Luton Town.

2023–24: Breakthrough season at Manchester United

Amad played his first game for United in over two seasons on 30 December 2023, as a substitute in the 2–1 league defeat away to Nottingham Forest. On 17 March 2024, Amad scored the winning goal in the last minute of extra time in a 4–3 win against Liverpool in the 2023–24 FA Cup quarter-finals; he received a second yellow card and was sent off after taking his shirt off in celebration. Amad's first Premier League goal came on 15 May, scoring United's second goal in a 3–2 victory against Newcastle United.

2024–25 season

Following the dismissal of Erik ten Hag, Amad saw regular playing opportunities, first under interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, then head coach Ruben Amorim. On 7 November, in Van Nistelrooy's penultimate game in charge, Amad scored his first brace for the club in a 2–0 win against PAOK in the UEFA Europa League. On 24 November 2024, he started as a wing-back in Amorim's first match against Ipswich Town which ended in a 1–1 draw. He assisted Marcus Rashford's opening goal in the second minute. On 15 December, he started as an attacking midfielder away to local rivals and reigning champions Manchester City, where he won a late penalty that Bruno Fernandes converted to equalise, then scored the winning goal in the final minutes in their 2–1 victory. His winning goal in that match was later voted Manchester United's goal of the season.

On 5 January 2025, he scored a late equaliser in a 2–2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield. On 9 January, he signed a new contract until 2030. On 12 January, Amad made his 50th appearance for United, coming on as a substitute in their FA Cup third round match against Arsenal, which ended in a 1–1 draw after extra time. He scored United's second penalty in the shoot-out, which they won 5–3. On 16 January, Amad scored his first senior hat-trick in 12 minutes against Southampton in a 3–1 victory, helping Manchester United to come from behind in the second-half. He became the first Manchester United player to score a hat-trick since Cristiano Ronaldo against Norwich City in April 2022.

On 15 February 2025, Amorim confirmed that Amad had damaged his ankle ligaments in training, and was out for the remainder of the 2024–25 season. He returned to training two months later, on 30 April 2025. He played his first match after his injury against Brentford and scored in a 4–3 defeat. On 21 May 2025, Amad featured in the 2025 UEFA Europa League final as a starter, losing to Tottenham Hotspur; consequently, he became the first player in history to lose three UEFA Europa League finals.

International career

Amad 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, Amad 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, Amad was named in the Ivory Coast under-23 team for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Amad made his Olympics debut, and assisted a goal, in a 2–1 win against Saudi Arabia on 22 July. He made four appearances at the tournament.

Style of play

A winger who is also capable of playing as a mezzala, Amad 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. He is capable of both creating chances and cutting inside mainly from the right flank, even playing as a right wing-back under Ruben Amorim.
Amad possesses quick acceleration and dribbling skills, often dribbling using small touches on the ball and taking on defenders rather than bursting into space. He is known to perform back-heel passes and other tricks.

Legal issues

In July 2020, an investigation into the trafficking of football players was launched by the public prosecutor's office of Parma. Among the involved was Hamed Mamadou Traoré, 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 9 February 2021, Amad was found guilty of violating the Italian Sports Justice Code to join the football club "ASD Boca Barco" in 2015 under the name "Diallo Amad Traoré". He was accused of falsifying documents to fake a relationship with Hamed Mamadou Traoré, an Ivorian citizen resident in Italy, and request a family reunification. Amad requested a plea bargain, with the Federal Prosecutor's Office imposing a fine of €48,000.

Personal life

Diallo received his Italian passport in December 2020.

On 11 July 2020, the day of his 18th birthday, Amad 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.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list the Ivory Coast's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Amad Diallo goal.''

Honours

Manchester United
* FA Cup: 2023–24
* UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2020–21, 2024–25

Rangers
* Scottish Cup

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