Boasting a star-studded cast and a slew of awards, Quentin Tarantino’s blockbuster Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has catapulted into many critics’ all-time favourite film lists. However, on social media, it’s most famous for spawning one of the internet’s most viral memes.
The meme-worthy scene features Leonardo DiCaprio, portraying washed-up movie star Rick Dalton, sat in an armchair with a beer and cigarette in one hand, enthusiastically pointing at the TV with the other.
For netizens, it’s become a humorous way to depict sudden moments of surprise recognition. This very meme came to mind for ex-Rangers youth player Robbie Fraser when he realised that the RB Leipzig winger causing a stir in the Bundesliga was actually the enigmatic trialist who almost inked a deal at Ibrox.
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That once unknown lad who flew into Ibrox for a week before vanishing is now tipped to be the £100million successor to Mo Salah’s Liverpool crown, reports the Daily Record.
Yan Diomande has rocketed to the top of the Anfield side’s summer shopping list as they look to fill the boots of their Egyptian maestro. But if fate had taken a different turn, Diomande could have been ruling the roost in Glasgow.
It was back in October 2023 when the Ivory Coast World Cup star arrived at Gers for a trial run under B team manager Davie McCallum.
At the tender age of 16, he was playing semi-pro football in America at the DME Academy in Daytona Beach and even had a run out at Ibrox when the Light Blues’ reserves faced off against Monaco’s second string in a friendly match.
Fraser was taken aback by what he witnessed in the 3-1 loss. However, like DeCaprio, he was left gobsmacked when he saw where the youngster ended up years later.
“You kind of forget about these lads who come in on trial,” admitted the ex-Gers defender, now plying his trade in Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline defence.
“It was only a while later that we saw him pop up in Germany with Leipzig. I remember seeing these clips online of him netting all these fantastic goals.
“It’s one of those moments where you’re pointing at the screen exclaiming, ‘I know this lad! I’ve played with him!’ And now he’s worth £100m. It’s bonkers!
“But to be honest, it’s not that much of a shock because we could all see the type of talent he possessed. There’s certainly no doubt he’ll merit his move to Liverpool if it materialises because he’s some player.
“He’ll have big boots to fill at Anfield as he’s been touted as Salah’s successor but I think he’s already demonstrated his calibre in Germany.”
However, three years ago, Diamonde had everything to prove as he sought a contract in Scotland. But for Fraser, his quality was immediately apparent. He recalled: “I can’t really remember too much of where he came from. I think it was a club in the fourth division in America.
“But it was just a typical training week, we were gearing up for a match against Monaco at Ibrox. He popped into the dressing room one day and joined us for training. I think he stayed a week and trained every day.
“He was a bit reserved in the changing room. He didn’t really chat much. The other lads did their best to include him but I don’t think his English was up to scratch at that point. But once we hit the training pitch, his footwork spoke volumes! You could tell he was brimming with talent right off the bat.
“And when it came to the match against Monaco, he was absolutely top-notch. He played on the right for us but he roamed around. You could see he was oozing skill. A class act.
“He was ace with either foot. He was direct, he was fast, he was sturdy. He rarely lost possession even though he was a dribbler. But that was the last we saw of him. He played in that Monaco match and that was it.
“I’ll be honest, I was a bit taken aback we didn’t sign him given how good he was but just assumed he had trials elsewhere. I thought he was so good there must have been other teams after him.
“Having these lads come in on trial was something that happened quite frequently. In fact, it was a constant occurrence in the B team at that time.
“Because we were playing a series of friendly matches at that time, it was easy to field trialists. So we were always getting blokes coming in for a week to train but then they’d vanish and you’d never hear about them again.
“But clearly Diomande is different. He’s a freak of nature who now looks like he’ll be going for huge money.” Diomande did indeed have stints elsewhere, training with Chelsea and Bournemouth before signing for Spanish outfit Leganes, which led to a £17million transfer to the Red Bulls in Germany.
For many frustrated supporters, the missed opportunity to secure this once-in-a-generation talent has been chalked up as another recruitment misstep by the Gers.
However, Diomande himself has come to the defence of the Ibrox bosses, asserting: “It’s not true that I didn’t want to sign for them – my agent at the time demanded too much money.”
Fraser, though, can’t help but ponder what could have been if the Gers had loosened their purse strings. He mused: “You do ask yourself why the club didn’t push the boat out for him. It’s tough when you’re up against clubs that can offer more.
“But I still feel like that when you’ve got someone of that ability, it’s worth the gamble. And I felt he was because in one game, I could see right away the type of player he was going to become.
“At that time, I reckon he’d only have been about a year away from being first-team ready. I know Davie McCallum really liked him but it was around the time that Michael Beale had been sacked and Steven Davis was in charge for a couple of weeks, so maybe eyes were elsewhere at the time because of the turmoil at that time.
“Maybe it got pushed to one side and didn’t get acted on because of the circumstances at the time.
“But I do sometimes wonder if the club could have got it done. It’s a case of what could have been for Rangers had they got a player like that signed because there’s no doubt, he’s going to be a superstar. He’ll be remembered as the one who got away.”