According to a report by Madrid Universal on Wednesday November 4, 2026, in recognition of their outstanding performances for both Real Madrid and their country, attackers Yan Diomande and Brahim Diaz have been nominated for the Confederation of African Football Awards in 2026.

The summer acquisition Diomande has made it to the final round of the Young Player of the Year competition, and Brahim is one of the top ten finalists for the Men's Player of the Year award.

Although he was not a mainstay in Real Madrid's starting lineup all season long, Brahim had a productive 2025–26 campaign. The international player from Morocco had a solid season, contributing to two goals and nine assists. As a result of his play, he was also named to the national team's honor roll.

The 27-year-old scored five goals during the Africa Cup of Nations, and he was a key cog in Morocco's victory. His performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup was equally impressive; he assisted on four goals as his nation advanced to the quarterfinals.

There will be other seniors vying for Brahim's award. Amad Diallo of Manchester United, Antoine Semenyo of Manchester City, Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain, Sadio Mane of Al-Nassr, and a host of other players are also up for consideration.

At the same time, Real Madrid signed Diomande in the summer after his breakthrough season with RB Leipzig. The 19-year-old winger played in 36 games for the German club in 2025–26, scoring 13 goals and assisting on 10 more.

His progress in Spain has continued, and he has contributed to Real Madrid's success this season with four goals and four assists in fourteen games played. At the Africa Cup of Nations, Diomande made five appearances for Ivory Coast and scored once.

He also participated in the other international tournament. He made four appearances and assisted on a goal during the World Cup.

Some have even put the young attacker in the running for CAF Young Player of the Year. Nevertheless, he is up against a number of worthy opponents in the form of Ibrahim Maza of Bayer Leverkusen, Ayyoub Bouaddi of Manchester City, and Hamza Abdelkarim of Barcelona.