As far as goals that a player can score, it doesn’t get much bigger than a winner in the Champions League in the Madrid derby. Brahim Diaz had that honour on Tuesday.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport recall, the goal itself was a touch of magic to open up a predictable cagey affair too. Brahim danced inside the area, weaving past the defenders and finishing into the bottom corner, something Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. would be proud of.
Milan fans had deja vu: February 14, 2023, Milan 1-0 Tottenham, a goal by Brahim Diaz. Even then it was the first leg of a Champions League round of 16 tie and he became youngest goal for the Rossoneri in a UCL knockout match since Kakà in 2004.
During his time at Milan, Brahim scored twice against Juve, Liverpool and Napoli. In his first year back at Real Madrid, he scored in one of the two league derbies and in the Spanish Super Cup (again against Atletico).
This season, in the Champions League, he scored against Manchester City and now this latest sting against Diego Simeone’s men. Connecting the dots is easy: Brahim Diaz is a player for important matches.
Ricky Massara, during his time at Milan, used to say: Brahim is not afraid, when the tension rises he plays better, a champion quality that even his first coaches noticed.
“Very happy with the goal and especially the one-goal advantage,” Brahim said after the match. “They are good, it’s difficult to find a solution with them but we are Madrid. We want to win everything.” He is only the fifth Madrid player ever to score against Atletico in three different competitions.
The Milan fans, who probably didn’t fully understand him, now have regrets. Many didn’t think he was up to the standard of the club, but he has fought for playing time and scored so many importance goals for Real Madrid since.
The management have far fewer regrets. They kept him on loan for three years and in the first months of 2023 tried to buy him, allocating more than €20m to the possible operation. Real Madrid said no, brought him home and included him in the squad.
Carlo Ancelotti did the rest and at the Santiago Bernabeu – when Brahim scored against Atletico – he hugged his son Davide, finally happy, and he has his beloved Milan to thank in some ways.
