Grieving sister's memory fuels Ivory Coast star at World Cup

Ivory Coast's 19-year-old football sensation Yan Diomande is competing in his first World Cup, but his personal life is overshadowed by profound grief. A year ago, his sister Roxane died tragically at just 15 years old.

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Since you died, I am just empty.

In an emotional open letter published on The Players Tribune, Diomande shared the depth of his sorrow. "Since you died, I am just empty," he wrote, describing a feeling of numbness and a sense of not being human. He recounted the devastating phone call informing him of his sister's death, an event he described as a nightmare from which he couldn't even shed a tear in shock.

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I don't even feel anything. It's like I'm not even human. Since you died, I am just empty.

Diomande revealed that his family has never received answers about the exact circumstances of his sister's death, stating that "someone put something in her drink at a party, and she never woke up." He is now channeling his pain into his game, playing for Roxane, who he says was his biggest supporter.

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Someone put something in her drink at a party, and she never woke up. She is gone.

"This is my chance to show the whole world what you saw in me. Every time I score, I will make sure everyone knows your name. I will make sure no one forgets you," Diomande vowed. He is currently experiencing the pinnacle of football, the World Cup, playing for Ivory Coast alongside other stars, fulfilling a dream he shared with his late sister.

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I don't think I even shed a tear that day they told me you were gone. I was just in shock... It was a nightmare.