Manchester United’s Amad Diallo has set tongues wagging with an intriguing series of images released on social media, one of which appears to show the Ivory Coast international holding the Ballon d’Or trophy.
World football’s most prestigious individual award may have been on the mind. The full list of nominees for the game’s best player throughout the 2024–25 campaign are revealed on Thursday, although there is little expectation that Amad will make the cut, let alone lift the trophy.
That, however, is the scene pictured at the end of an Instagram carousel posted by Amad to mark the conclusion of United’s U.S. pre-season tour.
The versatile 23-year-old performed admirably in a listing Manchester United team, excelling in a range of positions after Ruben Amorim took over in November. For the first time in his career, Amad hit double digits for goals (11) and assists (10) across all competitions.
United head coach Ruben Amorim has been reluctant to overly praise his young starlet. After Amad became the first Manchester United player since Cristiano Ronaldo to score a Premier League hat-trick with a treble against Southampton in January, the Portuguese boss admitted that he was “doing a very good season.” “But,” Amorim immediately added, “you have to be careful with the young kids.
Amad failed to help United avoid a 3–1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion three days later and within three weeks he had sustained a serious ankle injury. The dutiful youngster surpassed initial diagnoses to recover before the end of the campaign, marking his return with a goal against Brentford. Amad finished the Premier League season with the opening strike in a 2–0 victory over Aston Villa.
The Ballon d’Or is not the only ambitious target Amad has set for himself. United’s part-time wingback and winger has challenged the club to climb into the Premier League’s top five after last season’s dire 15th-place finish. No United team has climbed 10 places in the space of one top-flight campaign since the 1960s.
After slumping to 19th in 1962–63, a side spearheaded by three Ballon d’Or winners—Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and a young George Best—leapt up to second in 1963–64. Should Amad inspire a similarly transformative turnaround this term, he would deserve a spot on the 2026 Ballon d’Or shortlist.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Amad Diallo Stakes Ballon d’Or Claim With Bizarre Social Media Post.
