Real Madrid new boy Brahim Diaz lives out childhood dream on Bernabeu debut

The out of sorts Spanish giants returned to winning ways by seeing off Leganes 3-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last-16 tie

Thursday 10 January 2019 04:50 EST
Comments
January transfer window 2019: Premier League transfer round-up

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Brahim Diaz reveals he was living out his childhood dream as he made his Real Madrid debut on Wednesday night.

The out of sorts Spanish giants returned to winning ways by seeing off Leganes 3-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last-16 tie.

Sergio Ramos scored his 100th career goal with a 44th-minute penalty before second-half strikes from Lucas Vazquez and Vinicius Junior rounded off a first win in 2019 at the third attempt.

And Diaz, who joined from Manchester City on Monday, was delighted to make his first appearance for a club he's supported since he was a boy.

"This is great, an unforgettable and unique day," he said. "Making my debut at the Bernabeu is great. This is a dream since I was a child.

"Winning makes the dream greater, but I take everything in peace. I will hang my debut shirt in my room."

Diaz came on as a second-half substitute but revealed that goalscorer Ramos had already taken the time to praise his contribution.

"Sergio Ramos has congratulated me and told me to continue like this, and that I will have many minutes," he added. "He is a top player and playing with him is to enjoy the moment and this dream."

Last Thursday's 2-2 draw at Villarreal was followed by a 2-0 defeat at home to Real Sociedad at the weekend, which apparently left Santiago Solari's side seething ahead of their cup clash.

"We were angry and we let it out on the pitch," Nacho Fernandez added. "Things weren't going well for us and we weren't having good results.

"Today we had a good game. We're struggling to win three or four in a row, so now we need this to gain confidence.

"We hope that this will be the first of many wins."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in