Back where it all began: Profile of Moussa Diaby

At the age of 19, Diaby joined Bayer 04 from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2019. He had just made the step up to the professional ranks at PSG, and with 34 appearances, he quickly established himself as one of the key players in the 2018/19 title-winning season. “He is one of France’s very greatest talents,” Simon Rolfes, now the club’s sporting managing director sport, said at the time. His predecessor, Rudi Völler, said: “Moussa Diaby will bring us a great deal of joy with his tremendous pace and technical ability; I’m sure of that.” Today, it is clear both were undoubtedly right.

Season by Season: goals and assists galore for Diaby 

Diaby made his competitive debut for Werkself in the first round of the 2019/20 DFB Pokal against Alemannia Aachen (4–1). He immediately provided an assist. This was followed by his first Bundesliga match against Fortuna Düsseldorf (3–1), where he played alongside Lukas Hradecky, Jonathan Tah and Kai Havertz. Initially used as a substitute, he made his first start on matchday 12 against SC Freiburg and promptly secured a point (1–1) with his first goal for Bayer 04.

As he gained more playing time, the Frenchman grew increasingly confident, becoming more of a threat with every sprint and more important to the Werkself with every passing year. His pace was his trademark, and his runs into space posed a constant threat to opposing defences. He finished his first season with 16 goals and assists in 39 matches, and the following season with 24 goals and assists in 43 matches. This was followed in 2021/22 by his most prolific season, with 31 goals and assists in 42 matches. He rounded off the subsequent season – which was rather mixed in sporting terms and saw the arrival of head coach Xabi Alonso – with an equally impressive tally of 24 goals and assists in 48 matches.

A total of 172 matches, 49 goals and 47 assists later, he moved on. The club bid farewell to its top scorer and provider, one of its key players – and one of the Bundesliga’s finest wingers. “Bayer 04 is a very special club,” Diaby said at the time, emphasising with gratitude just how much support he had received in Leverkusen as a young player and as a person.

flying start in england – a champion in Saudi Arabia

Diaby moved to Aston Villa in 2023, getting off to a good start with eight goals and assists in ten league matches. After a season in the Premier League, the UEFA Conference League and domestic cup competitions, the Frenchman left the club. He scored a total of ten goals and provided eleven assists in his 54 appearances for Villa.

Next came the Saudi Arabia chapter. At Al-Ittihad, Diaby formed the most successful attacking partnership in the Saudi Professional League alongside the former world-class French striker Karim Benzema. In 2025, the club were crowned champions in a league packed with big-name stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates. Diaby can look back on two years at Al-Ittihad, during which he scored 44 points in 73 matches.

back in LEV: work together for new success

Three years later, he has come full circle. Diaby is back in Leverkusen. This time, not as a young prospect, but as an established professional. And at a club that has made just as much progress as he has. Bayer 04, which he left in 2023, became the first unbeaten champions of Germany and double winners. “The club is now much bigger than it was back then,” Diaby acknowledges. And the 27-year-old now wants one thing above all else: to write the next chapter in the club’s success story alongside Bayer 04. “Competing for titles with Bayer 04 is a wonderful prospect – it’s a major goal of mine.”