Ivory Coast wonderkid Yan Diomande is not chasing comparisons with Michael Olise or Elephants legend Gervinho, with the youngster insisting he's focusing only on himself as his first FIFA World Cup approaches.
Comparisons with Bayern Munich's Olise are easy to make after Diomande succeeded the 24-year-old as the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year. The wingers' playing styles -- their flair, confidence, and roots tied to West African football culture -- have established them as two of the most watchable players in the German top flight.
Diomande, speaking to ESPN via New Balance, shut down the idea he's following in anyone else's footsteps, ahead of his clash against Olise on Thursday, when Ivory Coast take on France in a pre-World Cup friendly.
"I'm not [trying to learn from Olise]," Diomande began. "I have a big respect for him, but I'm not looking at him.
"I'm looking at him as a player, I want to do something like him, but I'm watching him on TV when Bayern are playing... like, I watch Harry Kane, or Luis Díaz, because they're top players.
"So I'm learning something from them, but it's not feeling like I'm going only to my TV to watch him play."
Despite acknowledging some of his top opponents in the division, Diomande's focus remains on developing his own identity.
He had a hand in 20 goals in 33 Bundesliga outings this season as RB Leipzig finished third in the Bundesliga, with Diomande becoming the fourth African player - after Amine Harit, Silas and Victor Boniface - to win the Rookie of the Year prize.
Olise, last year's winner, went on to claim the division's Player of the Year award after a title-winning season with Bayern, and Diomande has his eyes firmly set on future glories.
"I have another dream every day, it depends on the mood," he continued. "Maybe tomorrow I want [to win the] Ballon d'Or, it depends, but right now I'm just trying to be focused on myself, trying to score more goals, do a good World Cup.
"I'm thinking about the group first, because I know if we perform as a group, it's going to be easy for me, but I'm not thinking about myself only. It's all about the team."
Born in Abidjan, Diomande moved to the United States as a youngster and moved to Spanish side Leganes in 2025 after graduating from the Florida-based DME Academy.
He credits his faith as one of the key factors underpinning his meteoric rise in the sport, with Diomande registering only 10 appearances in Leganes last season before starring in the Bundesliga for Leipzig this term.
"In Africa, we believe in God a lot and I do as well, so [the advice I follow is] work hard, believe in yourself, don't listen to people, and God is going to do the rest.
"[I must] stay focused and listen to myself. Believe in myself and work hard."
Diomande will be one of the star attractions of the Ivory Coast national side who are set to return to the World Cup for the first time since 2014, when the Elephants' Golden Generation failed in their third consecutive attempt to escape the group stage.
While Diomande, who was born in 2006, has only faint memories of those ill-fated campaigns, he acknowledges that he's walking in the footsteps of giants with the national side... even though he doesn't want to be seen as a successor to the likes of ex-Ivory Coast winger Gervinho.
"I didn't really watch them play, I think I watched a couple of games, but I didn't really watch them," Diomande concluded, "but Gervinho, Didier Drogba, I watched them, and I hear about them.
"I didn't watch a lot [of Gervinho], but I think he was very fast, and a similar kind of [player to me]."
Thursday's friendly against France at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes is the Elephants' last game before they jet off to their World Cup base camp in Philadelphia.
"I've been looking forward to participating in the World Cup, the mood is good, and everyone is excited to start the competition," Diomande added.
"We're just waiting for the day, but we're in a good mood and everyone is ready."
The Ivory Coast open their tournament against Ecuador in Philadelphia on June 14 before facing Germany in Toronto six days later. Their Group E campaign concludes against debutants Curacao back in Philadelphia on June 25.
