Ivorian star Yan Diomande came off the bench in Real Madrid's friendly against Schalke, a 3-0 win for Los Blancos.
According to Defensa Central, Diomande could hardly have asked for a better debut. He completed more dribbles than any other player on the pitch, despite lasting just 30 minutes.
On in the 61st minute for Brahim Diaz, he pulled off three dribbles and confirmed both his pace and his knack for running directly at defenders in the opposition half.
Those are exactly the qualities Real Madrid backed heavily. The club signed him from Leipzig for a fixed fee of 125 million euros, plus 15 million euros in add-ons.
Dribbling and creating danger stood out as the winger's biggest weapons in the German league last season. He topped the ranking for dribbling effectiveness among players in the top five leagues, among those who attempted the most dribbles.
Yan posted a success rate of 56.20%. Inside half an hour, he proved it all over again, this time in a Los Blancos shirt.
Real Madrid looked utterly dominant against Schalke, and Diomande slotted into the attack during the closing stages, the very spell in which the side could have added more goals.
The 19-year-old featured in several attacks in the second half. He showed sharp movement alongside Carlos Espi, who scored the second, and struck up a good understanding with Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, the latter growing ever more comfortable as a leader inside the dressing room.
Confident and composed, Diomande soaked up his first minutes for Real Madrid with ease. He was not the standout man of the match, yet he left a clear stamp of a player who can make the difference: quick in one-on-one situations and, of course, capable of finding the net.