Yan Diomande has made himself a key man in Real Madrid's line-up. The Ivorian has dazzled with rocket-like goals and sharp creativity, driving the team to seven wins in the seven matches he has started and proving he can compensate for the absence of Vinicius Junior.
According to Spanish newspaper "AS", Diomande had already flashed his boldness at Leganes, his dribbling at Leipzig and his knack for finishing attacks from both flanks. What nobody knew, because he kept it to himself, is that his right foot carries a rocket of a shot, one defined by sheer power rather than mere beauty.
His impact runs deeper than individual brilliance. Real Madrid have won all seven matches he has started, and the team is hitting its best levels of the season with Diomande among its chief driving forces.
Three of his last goals came from thunderous strikes. He scored in the 4-1 win over Sevilla with a right-footed effort from the edge of the box, then repeated the trick against Leipzig by the same scoreline, this time from slightly further out and with a higher degree of difficulty after meeting the ball on the volley.
His latest in Santander fused the best of both. It arrived from long range like the first and with the technical difficulty of the second, in a moment that looked as though the player's mind and body were developing in tandem towards the perfect strike.
A work of art, this one. He fired the ball into Agirrezabala's net at 120.2 kilometres per hour, spinning at 3.3 rotations per second, from 19 metres out.
Diomande's level has risen sharply since the long international break, when he hinted with the Ivory Coast national team that he was gearing up to explode onto the scene.
The numbers back it up. He has had a hand in six goals since, scoring three and setting up three more, leaving his mark on every outing while adding fresh danger to his team's play.
Only Kylian Mbappe has beaten him for dribbles, completing 39 to Diomande's 34, and that despite the French star playing 512 extra minutes.
Cause or consequence of Real Madrid's revival? Everyone is free to decide which came first. What is certain is that the Ivorian is making the most of Vinicius Junior's lengthy absence from league action through suspension, if that was ever part of his plan.
The left wing, which Vinicius owned with barely a rival, has become the space where Diomande shines. His last three standout goals all came after he drifted into that left-sided role, which let him set himself perfectly to shoot with his right foot.
Scoring is not his only threat. He creates danger too. In the fifth minute of the match, Real Madrid's players screamed for a penalty when Mantilla brought down the number 25, but referee Munuera Montero judged the contact too slight to warrant a foul, further proof of Diomande's constant ability to cause chaos.
Dying for the coach
Mourinho handed Diomande minutes gradually, refusing to rush him in. Even so, his admiration for the newcomer's attitude surfaced before the first appearance, when he praised the spirit with which the player joined up, after Diomande said he was ready "to die" for his coach.
Days later, the Portuguese coach weighed in: "Without holding to the words literally, I like this expression. I would have preferred him to die for the group and Real Madrid, but I know what he means when he mentions my name in his talk about the working group and the club. Words are easy, but moving to action is more difficult."
Diomande has turned those words into deeds. He does it through his attacking work and by tracking back to win the ball when needed, tasks that speak of sacrifice rather than any hunt for the spotlight.
That gives Mourinho enormous reassurance. He knows Diomande will do his job even when the game demands a hard defensive shift.
Asked about the young Ivorian's defensive graft alongside Bellingham, the coach swelled with pride: "When the more attacking-minded players put in a great effort in the defensive areas, it sends a positive message to the group."
That message matters all the more for Vinicius, who returns later and cannot feature in the league again before 29 November at the earliest.