Real Madrid captain Cristiano Ronaldo has made his opinion clear: He thinks Dominican player Mariano Diaz has a lot of potential. In fact, CR7 who regularly takes young players under his wing, was the first to talk to the club about Diaz after training with him in Valdebebas, Real Madrid’s training complex. It’s without a doubt one of the best co-signs a soccer player can ask for.
Spending much of the year with the reserve team in Castilla, Diaz became the team’s top scorer with 25 goals. His performance led Real Madrid to bring him onto their Champions League roster, making Diaz the first player of Dominican descent to play for Real Madrid’s Champions League squad.
Despite all of this – not to mention additional support from other teammates and Coach Zinedine Zidane, who included Diaz on a tour in the U.S. and Canada – the 22 year-old striker will apparently be transferred to another team.
Diaz’s future with the club has been uncertain for months, as there remains little room for him to get more playing time in a squad that includes: Lucas Vázquez, Álvaro Morata, Gareth Bale and Ronaldo. The club would allegedly stipulate that Diaz get a certain amount of playing time if he were ceded to another team, so that he can continue to progress in fútbol. A handful of teams have reportedly expressed their interest in Diaz so far, including Betis, Sevilla, and Las Palmas.
Only time will tell where Diaz ends up, but either way the plátano power player has made a good impression on one of the legends of the game.