Indian Super League club Delhi Dynamos FC have signed Senegalese international Diawandou Diagne for the upcoming season. The 24-year-old defensive midfielder has also been a part of the Barcelona B squad in the past.

Born in Thies, Diagne moved to the Doha-based ASPIRE Academy, aged 13, after being selected as one of the 24 players from a global pool of over 400,000. After four years with them, he joined Belgian second division side Eupen in 2012. In his debut season, he made 32 appearances for the side.

The midfielder’s stellar performances in Belgium earned him a contract with Barcelona in 2014, where he primarily turned up for the Barca B side in the Segunda division. He was also drafted into the main squad for a Copa del Rey tie against SD Huesca but was an unused sub.

He returned to Eupen on a loan spell in 2015 and rejoined the club on a permanent basis again in 2017 after the duration of his contract with Barcelona ran out. He was a regular fixture for the Belgian Club before joining Delhi.

On the international front, Diagne has played for the Senegal U-17 and U-20 national teams before making his senior team debut in 2014 in a 2-2 draw against Colombia.

“I have played in Europe amongst some of the best in the world, and I am eager to bring all my experience on the field here in India,” he said after formalizing the deal.