Diomande: Real Madrid's €140m signing rocked by age doubts
Real Madrid pays 140 million euros for Diomande, but social media users estimate he is 28. The evidence and the scandal in a case that smells of age fraud.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Diomande: the 140-million-euro signing under suspicion over his age
Real Madrid has shelled out 140 million euros for a footballer whose official age should, at the very least, be verified with a dental scan. Social media users have done the work the scouts failed to do: examining photos, dates and even teeth. The most repeated conclusion pushes his real age up to 28 or 30.
A gold-plated age scan
The suspicion is nothing new. As soon as the first photo was published, the 'armchair detectives' came out to compare shirts and calendars. An image showing him in the 2021 season kit throws the official chronology into question. The joke that the player "will make his First Communion this year dressed as a sailor" sums up the general scepticism.
The defence: not everything is proof
Against the current that takes the fraud for granted, some point out that a shirt removed from a collection proves nothing. "He exudes youth," some quip; "he'll retire in two seasons," others conclude. The controversy is served, and the financial hole, this writer notes, would only be beginning.
If his real age is confirmed, it will not just be a sporting problem: it will be a hole in the balance sheet and a precedent for the intermediaries who pocketed the commission. For now, it is time to wait for La Liga or the Spanish football federation to request his birth certificate. Though given what has been seen, perhaps they should also ask for his driving licence.
Real Madrid has shelled out 140 million euros for a footballer whose official age should, at the very least, be verified with a dental scan. Social media users have done the work the scouts failed to do: examining photos, dates and even teeth. The most repeated conclusion pushes his real age up to 28 or 30.
A gold-plated age scan
The suspicion is nothing new. As soon as the first photo was published, the 'armchair detectives' came out to compare shirts and calendars. An image showing him in the 2021 season kit throws the official chronology into question. The joke that the player "will make his First Communion this year dressed as a sailor" sums up the general scepticism.
The defence: not everything is proof
Against the current that takes the fraud for granted, some point out that a shirt removed from a collection proves nothing. "He exudes youth," some quip; "he'll retire in two seasons," others conclude. The controversy is served, and the financial hole, this writer notes, would only be beginning.
If his real age is confirmed, it will not just be a sporting problem: it will be a hole in the balance sheet and a precedent for the intermediaries who pocketed the commission. For now, it is time to wait for La Liga or the Spanish football federation to request his birth certificate. Though given what has been seen, perhaps they should also ask for his driving licence.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (14 replies).
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