Amad Diallo initially announced the passing of his ‘mother’ in an emotional eight-word post hours before Manchester United’s Premier League match against Brighton.
The footballer seemed to have weathered his difficult stint with Manchester United with big gains in Erik Ten Hag’s squad. He put up an impressive performance for the Old Trafford club in pre-season and was again in the form of his life in the club’s 2024-25 Premier League opener against Fulham.
However, away from his recent gains with the Old Trafford club, Diallo seemed to have suffered a slight setback in his private life with his ‘mother’ demise.
Amad Diallo announced ‘mother’ death
The 22-year-old took to X to confirm the passing of the elderly woman with an eight-word message that captured the depth of the loss.
Sharing a photo of the woman on the platform, the footballer wrote in French, ‘Rest in peace, Mum, may Allah forgive you.”
The announcement by Diallo had already raised speculations on whether he will still be included in the Manchester United squad for the match against Brighton. There were suggestions he would be excluded from the squad ahead of the clash in honour of the late mum.
Meanwhile, minutes after the heart-rending post, condolences began to flood in, with his followers sending tributes and sympathies. However, Diallo later clarified in a follow-up post that the late woman was not her biological mum but his brother and sister’s mum.
“Guys I wanted to clarify. She is not my biological mother, she is my brother’s mother and my sister. May she rest in peace,” he wrote on X.
While Amad’s follow-up statement appears confusing, it is pertinent to note the ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ epithets used in the post denote either a friend that is very close to the player or step-siblings.
Amad Diallo is an Ivorien, a country that borrows a great deal from Africa’s extended family system. At the core of this system is an extended filial relationship where members of the family are placed in brother, sister, father, or mother roles even if they aren’t biological siblings or parents.
So, Diallo was wrongly interpreted by his audience, hence the need to clear the air on whether he was referring to his biological mum or not. Diallo’s follow-up statement has been much of a relief to his fans and has doused the fad of the death which was already spreading fast on social media.
Diallo to play a big role at Manchester United this season
Diallo has finally turned a corner away from his Manchester United deadlock in the past campaigns. He shone bright in Man United’s preseason matches and started the Premier League opener against Fulham.
The Ivorien forward is expected to play a big role in Manchester United’s Premier League campaign this season. Recall he was loaned to Rangers and Sunderland amidst his struggles for first team action.
At the peak of his frustration with lack of game time at the club, he liked a post asking him to leave Manchester United and return to Sunderland where he had enough game time. This led to speculations on his possible transfer exit from the club. Now, the forward is in pole position to cement his place in United’s attack this season.
