JatimUPdate.id - Penyerang muda Pantai Gading, Yan Diomande, membagikan surat emosional kepada adiknya, Roxane, yang meninggal dunia pada usia 15 tahun.
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Surat tersebut dipublikasikan melalui media The Players' Tribune dan kemudian dibagikan oleh jurnalis transfer ternama Fabrizio Romano.
Dalam surat itu, Diomande mengenang masa kecil mereka di Abidjan, saat 25 orang tinggal dalam satu rumah dan ia bermain sepak bola di tanah berdebu dengan jersey Manchester United palsu bertuliskan "Ronaldo 7".
Ia mengaku pernah ditolak banyak klub, bahkan visa tinggalnya habis sehingga merasa mimpinya menjadi pesepak bola telah berakhir. Namun Roxane terus meyakinkannya untuk tidak menyerah.
Beberapa minggu setelah masa sulit itu, Diomande mendapat kesempatan bergabung dengan Leganés. Namun kebahagiaan tersebut tidak berlangsung lama.
Roxane meninggal dunia setelah menghadiri sebuah pesta. Peristiwa itu meninggalkan luka mendalam bagi Diomande yang mengaku merasa "kosong" sejak kepergian sang adik.
Kini, saat tampil di Piala Dunia 2026 bersama Pantai Gading, Diomande membawa satu janji: membuktikan bahwa keyakinan adiknya tidak pernah salah. "Aku akan membuktikan bahwa kamu benar, atau aku akan mati saat mencoba," tulisnya dalam penutup surat tersebut.
Berikut Versi aslinya:
๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐’๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ. โค๏ธ๐ฉนโ๐ฟ
“Dear Roxane,
Remember when somebody bought me a fake United jersey, and I wrote Ronaldo 7 on the back with the black marker?
Remember 25 people sleeping in one house back in Abidjan?
We didn’t know rich or poor. We just knew happiness.
Remember when the adults saw me playing football in the dirt and nicknamed me “Roberto Carlos” because of how hard I would shoot? And remember how I was secretly so mad about it, because CR7 was my idol?
But no one signed me. In England, everywhere as even the B teams in the MLS didn’t want me.
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My visa was up. My dream was over. Back to Africa.
You were the one who never stopped believing. A few weeks later, I signed for Leganés and we cried different tears.
That was back when I used to have emotions. Now, I don’t feel anything. It’s like ๐’๐ฆ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง. Since you died, I’m just ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ค.
I don’t even think I shed a tear the day they told me that you were gone. I was just in shock.
“Your sister is gone.”
“What?”
“She died.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Somebody put something in her drink at a party, and she never woke up. She is gone.”
You were 15.
I never got any answers. Maybe it was jealousy. Maybe it’s just something that happens in our country. Maybe I could have protected you.
I try to trust God’s plan. It’s all I can do.
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You know what’s crazy? After my debut against Madrid, I actually swapped shirts with Mbappé. Remember when we used to watch him on TV, and you’d say: Mbappé? Yeah, he’s good. But my brother is better.
I didn’t want a big house and I didn’t want cars. I just wanted to show the world that my sister was right.
We’re at the World Cup. For real. You always said that I could be better than Cristiano. ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ง๐จ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐, ๐’๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ.
I’m going to do what you predicted, I swear. Before I even had real boots, you said: My brother is going to be the greatest in the world.
๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ, ๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ...
Your brother, Yan”.
The Players' Tribune Football โ๐ฟ
Editor : Redaksi