Pro Cycling Manager 2018, Football Manager 2018/2022,
NCAA Football 2014/EA Sports College Football 2025 & Madden Fictional Story
There comes a time when every athlete makes a decision about their future.
Some come to the realization they aren't good enough and move on.
Others, like me, are told to give up one sport to focus on another.
Cycling or Football? Why not both.
Biography
Marcus Diamond
Marcus Diamond Jr.
Birthday: November 21, 1999
May 27, 2026
Birthplace: Canvey Island, England
London, England
Nationalities: England, GB
England, GB
~ Nigeria (Grandfather)
~ Scotland (Grandmother)
Height: 6'0" (183cms)
6'3" (191cms)
Weight: 185lbs (84kgs)
210lbs (95kgs)
Marcus Diamond Backstory
I grew up a Tottenham supporter because of my father. Nearly every Saturday on game day we traveled into the city to see the Hotspurs play at White Hart Lane. The roar of the crowd sucked me in at a young age.
But then my father passed away in a freak accident doing construction work. I was 12 and was left to be the man of the house. My mother has been doing her best to support us — my younger sister Alison and I — but times have been hard.
I earned my GCSE this past year, and I'll be turning 18 in a few months. I had aspiration to go to a University, but we just don't have the money.
I've been working odd jobs here and there, but the only thing I've truly been good at is sports. I've recently joined a summer league football team to meet new friends and keep my legs fresh. But, that's not the only sport I love.
After my father passed away, I started to ride my bicycle to White Hart Lane and beg for tickets outside of the stadium. Some days I got lucky and was able to scalp tickets for a profit and see the game. Other times I trekked the six-hour round trip to be scolded at and left with nothing.
It didn't really hit me that a path in cycling was even an option until the Tour de France rolled through London in 2014. That inspired me to really start training.
I worked my way up through the amateur cycling ranks, much to the dismay of family and friends who thought I was wasting my time on a stupid hobby.
Well, the joke is on them. London-based JLT Condor invited me to a prospect camp with a handful of other amateurs this weekend. But, to at least keep my mother happy, I also signed up for a preseason free agent camp later in the week to perhaps make a lower tier football team in the area.
The son of a former superstar cyclist and professional footballer, many thought I'd turn out to be like the next Eddy Merkx or Cristiano Ronaldo. I'm sorry to disappoint. Those sports were never for me. I don't have the endurance to climb mountains or sprint for 90 minutes straight.
The pressure of not following in my dad's footsteps while sharing his name nearly broke me. For the longest time, I gave up sports and focused more on my academics. Then, we moved to America. Asheville, North Carolina, to be precise.
My dad and mom were sold on the idea of starting up their own cycling team. A platform to help my younger sister, Hannah, achieve her cycling aspirations. But that dream was put on hold after allegations were made against my dad for "mechanical doping" during his cycling career.
My parent's mission shifted to clearing his name.
Did he cheat? I don't think so. I'd believe my father over a scrummy journalist at VeloNews, who decided it was ethical to publish the anonymous news tip. We continue to wait for the justice system and public opinion to sort everything out.
With all that going on in the background, I decided to give a different sport a try. American football. Most of the local media think this is all a ploy, trying to shine a light away from my dad's ongoing legal case. I assure them it's not.
I'm here on my own merits. My own decision. A quarterback calling his shots.
Marcus Diamond (born 21 November 1999) is an English born footballer, who currently plays for Canvey Island United and is capped by the Nigeria national football team. Diamond is also a professional cyclist with PT team HSE-Liquigas.
He grew up in Canvey Island, England. Married to cyclist Grace Garner-Diamond. The couple has one son, Marcus Diamond Jr.
He scored his first professional goal on December 2, 2017, against Potters Bar on a 25-yard, first-time strike off a free kick layoff by Jake Forster-Caskey.
Diamond's first career goal is a screamer from 25 yards out.
After scoring one goal and picking up one assist in 31 games with Canvey Island in the 2017-18 season, Diamond transferred to rival club Witham with teammate Ryan Charles for more money and a guaranteed one-year contract.
Witham narrowly lost out on promotion, finishing third behind Coggeshall and Canvey Island in the 2018-19 league standings. Diamond led the league with the highest average game rating (7.51). In 36 league games, Diamond scored five goals and passed off 13 assists.
Diamond signed a two-year deal with Limerick F.C. in the offseason to play in the highest tier of the Irish SSE Airtricity League.
He was loaned out to AFC Hornchurch — back in the Isthmain League First Division North — prior to the start of the Limerick season and scored a debut goal with his new team on January 25, 2020. He played in 13 matches, scoring seven goals and providing three assists before being recalled to Limerick F.C.
In his debut game with Limerick F.C., Diamond poached a 90th minute equalizer goal against Galway United. During the 2020 season with Limerick, he slotted in five goals and provided two assists in 17 games.
Diamond played in one more league game during the 2021 season, but had a rough year with only three goals and three assists. In his final game with the club, Limerick F.C. won the Irish Munster Senior Cup.
Playing for his fifth team in four years, Diamond moved to the Netherlands to join Helmond Sport for the 2021-22 season in the second-tier Jupiler League. He scored six minutes into his debut match against Jong Ajax.
Diamond made his first international start with Nigeria on Nov. 12, 2021, in a pivotal World Cup qualifier contest against South Africa. He scored the game-winning goal in the 34th minute to lift Nigeria to the World Cup for a seventh time.
Diamond scores on his international debut with Nigeria.
On Deadline Day on January 31, 2022, Feyenoord came to an agreement with Helmond Sport to buy Diamond for 950,000 pounds plus midfielder Mo el Hankouri. While Diamond signed a two-year extension, Feyenoord loaned him back to Helmond Sport to complete the 2021-22 season.
Helmond Sport finished eighth in the league standings and lost 2-1 on aggregate to Fortuna Sittard in the first round of the playoffs. Before joining Feyenoord, Diamond made his first World Cup appearance with Nigeria over the summer.
The Rising Star
(2022-2024)
Spoiler
The 2022 World Cup was hosted by China after Qatar was stripped of hosting duties. Nigeria opened the tournament with its first game against China at the Guangdong Olympic Stadium.
Diamond's senior team debut with Feyenoord featured an assist in a 4-2 win over FC Utrecht to claim the Johan Cruyff Shield. Diamond then recorded his first goal and added another assist in a 4-2 win over the Go Ahead Eagles during Match Day #2 of the 2022-23 Eredivisie season.
Feyenoord defeated Ajax 2-1 to win the KNVB Beker Cup. They scored a cup-record 25 goals in six knockout games. Diamond picked up two of those goals. Ajax got the last laugh, however, winning the league by two points.
Returning from injury, Diamond had one goal and one assist in two knockout games in the 2023 African Cup of Nations. Nigeria, one of the favourites, bowed in the quarterfinals following a shocking 2-1 defeat to Angola.
Then February 2025 happened. Fulham lost all five of its games, including a FA Cup Fourth Round match against Aston Villa. In the league standings, Fulham went from being a title contender to fighting for a playoff spot.
Against the odds, and with new manager Adam Lallana, Fulham secured fourth in the league standings, topped Crystal Palace 4-1 on aggregate in the first round of the playoffs and promoted to the Premier League by beating Ipswich Town 3-2 in the final at Wembley Stadium. Diamond provided two assists in the final.
Fulham celebrates winning the playoff final to promote into the Premier League.
Diamond started the 2025-26 season with Fulham in the Premier League, even scoring the game-winning goal in the season-opener, but was sold at the end of August to one of the best clubs in the world, Real Madrid, for 15 million.
Diamond's tenure with Real Madrid lasted roughly three months. He scored two league goals in nine appearances (five starts) before a training ground altercation and subsequential leaked video of the scuffle forced Real Madrid to release its newly bought budding star.
Diamond signed an agreement to not sign with another club for the remainder of the 2025-26 football season so he could continue to receive his salary from Real Madrid. Diamond decided to focus all his attention on making the Nigeria 2026 World Cup roster.
After five months away from the football pitch, Diamond made one of his iconic debut returns for his national team. He provided a goal and an assist in a 5-3 win over Tunisia in the African Cup of Nations qualifying round to plead his case to make the 2026 World Cup roster.
In conjunction with making the Nigeria World Cup roster, Diamond became an investor with his hometown club that helped him prepare for the World Cup: Canvey Island. His financial contributions saved the club from go bankrupt and helped them rebrand as Canvey Island United.
The badge for newly re-branded Canvey Island United.
To expedite turning around the grassroots operation, Diamond signed a one-year contract to play for the club without compensation during the 2026-27 season. Although, he would receive 3% of the club's profits as an investor. Before pulling on a Canvey Island United kit, Diamond went across the Atlantic to play in the 2026 World Cup hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Nigeria won its opening Group Stage match against the Czech Republic, 2-1, with Diamond providing the assist on what turned out to be the game-winning goal. His seventh World Cup assist of all-time. Argentina put Nigeria back in its place with a 4-0 thrashing to set up a crucial final Group Stage match against New Zealand.
An own goal by Argentina gifted the Czech Republic a 1-0 win, meaning Nigeria had to make up the goal difference with Argentina, Czech Republic and Nigeria all sitting on six points. The Soaring Eagles thought they did that when captain John Hamzat buried a penalty in the 80th minute to give Nigeria a 5-1 lead over New Zealand.
But New Zealand scored again, 5-2. Needing one more goal, Diamond put the team on his back and scored in the 84th minute to advance Nigeria to the Round of 16 where global power Brazil awaited.
Diamond scores late against New Zealand to lift Nigeria to the Round of 16.
Diamond's ninth World Cup assist put Nigeria up a goal five minutes into the match against Brazil, but Brazilian striker Diogo scored twice to eliminate Nigeria 2-1 in the Round of 16 for a second straight World Cup.
The Lower-League Legend
(2026-Currently)
Spoiler
Marcus Diamond, as expected, dominated in his return to lower-league football. The Canvey Island United star player/investor made an immediate impact to help the Islanders win the league title in the 10th Tier of the Great Britain football pyramid. Diamond racked up 42 goals and 14 assists across all competitions.
Totals (Club) | 38 Career Wins, 29 Days In Yellow, 7 Grand Tours. Totals ( International) | 2 NC RR, 0 NC ITT, 0 WC RR, 0 WC ITT.
The Early Years
(2017-2021)
Spoiler
Diamond made his debut for JLT Condor cycling team on February 18, 2018, at the GP Laguna Porec and finished 22nd. He only raced in 31 race days in his inaugural season with JLT Condor, mostly due to a couple of injuries with a gashed leg and fractured wrist.
Diamond picked up his first career victory in his second season with JLT Condor at the Memorial Philippe van Coningsloo on June 4, 2019. He powered away from the peloton and used late cobble section to distance himself for a solo victory.
Diamond celebrates after winning his first career race in Belgium.
A strong September showing in 2019 saw a 19-year-old Diamond finish fifth overall in the OVO Energy Tour of Britain, claim his second one-day race win at the Int. Raiffeisen Grand Prix and a second place in the Gooikse Pijl.
Diamond signed a two-year contract with Aqua Blue Sport through the 2020 and 2021 cycling season. Aqua Blue Sport dropped its sponsorship prior to the 2020 season and was picked up by INM, an Irish media company.
The 2020 Czech Cycling Tour saw Diamond win his first stage with his new team. He also won the green jersey and finished eighth overall.
INM folded after relegation following the 2020 season. The team sponsorship was picked up by Irish based EvoPro Racing.
After a handful of close calls, Diamond rode away on the cobbles for a Stage 2 victory at the Triptyque des Monts et Chateaux. He finished the four-day tour in third overall after a questionable timing gap decision. Later in the month, Diamond also finished third overall at the Circuit des Ardennes International.
Diamond stands on the podium after winning the 2021 Czech Cycling Tour.
Closing out the season and ending his time with EvoPro Racing, Diamond had a sub-par showing at the Great Britain National Championships (18th RR, 23rd TT) and the World RR Championship (47th) held in Italy.
He finally picked up his first win of the 2022 season with a solo attack on the cobblestones in Stage 3 of the Baloise Belgium Tour. He also won the youth jersey in the tour and, earlier in month, grabbed the white jersey on home soil at the Tour de Yorkshire.
A second win followed two months later with a calculated attack on the cobbled Tienne du Dragon climb to win the Grand Prix Cerami in Belgium.
Diamond slips away on the descent to win the 2022 Grand Prix Cerami.
At the 2022 Road Race National Championships, Diamond settled for eight place.
Diamond then dominated the his home Tour of Britain. Following a Stage 4 victory, Diamond slipped into yellow and held the race lead for the final four stages. That included second place finishes on Stage 7 and Stage 8. He took first place in the general classification, youth competition and was on the best team.
Diamond wins Stage 4 of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain; eventually wins GC.
A little over two weeks later, Diamond took 17th at the World RR Championships held on a mountainous course in Austria. The SEG Racing Academy was granted promotion to the Pro Tour for the 2023 season.
The start of the 2023 campaign featured plenty of drama at the Santos Tour Down Under. Diamond finished 5th overall (1st youth) after pushing the tempo following a crash on Stage 3 and overly aggressive racing to win Stage 4.
While recovering from a broken rib sustained on the pitch, Diamond watched from afar as his girlfriend Grace Garner won her first stage in the mixed peloton with a dramatic breakaway win on Stage 8 of the 2023 Tour de Suisse.
After re-signing a three-year contract extension with SEG, Diamond crashed out of his first grand tour appearance, painfully breaking another rib, on Stage 4 of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana. Diamond came back with a vengeance and nearly won the World RR Championship, but was bested in the final sprint and took fourth.
While hunting for his first victory of the 2024 season, Diamond was the best young rider at Paris-Nice after finishing 13th overall and at the Itzulia Basque Country while narrowly missing out on a couple of stage wins.
Diamond completed his first Grand Tour at the 2024 Giro d'Italia. He collected two stage podiums on Stage 3 and Stage 18, wore the white jersey for 15 days, placed 16th overall and second in the U25 competition.
That set up the form Diamond needed to capture his biggest prize yet: a 2024 Tour de France stage win! Using a tactical attack on a short Cat. 4 climb, Diamond escaped and used the downhill to his advantage for a memorable triumph.
Diamond celebrates winning Stage 6 of the 2024 Tour de France.
Riding in multiple breakaways on hard mountain stages, Diamond found himself in contention for the white, green and polka dots jersey through two weeks. In the end, Diamond lost the white jersey on a Stage 20 ITT to Maxim Shirshov, but rode through Paris wearing green, becoming the second British rider to win the Tour de France points competition since legend Mark Cavendish in 2011.
Diamond after winning the 2024 Tour de France points competition.
Carrying the momentum gained from the Tour de France, Diamond represented Great Britain in his first Olympics two weeks later in Paris, France. In his first time riding a track race, Diamond became an Olympic bronze medalist in the Omnium. Roommate Alex Vogel won the silver medal a one point in front of Diamond.
Invited to the 2025 Omnium World Championships after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics, Marcus Diamond started the new season off right by winning the World Championship convincingly. He won the first two events, points and scratch, to race out to a commanding lead that was unsurmountable.
A strong spring classics season saw Diamond win his first major classic, the Amstel Gold Race, with a powerful attack on the final incline.
Diamond gives the two-arm salute after winning the 2025 Amstel Gold Race.
Prior to Diamond marrying fellow cycling teammate Grace Garner on June 21, 2025, in London, England, the pair work flawlessly together for a memorable Diamond stage victory on Stage 7 at the Tour de Suisse. Diamond finished 4th overall and also won the King of the Mountains competition.
The first week of the 2025 Tour de France brought a stage win and had Diamond second overall before heading into the high mountains. The second week featured another stage win and Diamond attacking without fear or reason. Those attacks hindered Diamond in the third week, as he slipped down to finish fifth overall.
SEG added co-sponsor Quick Step for the 2026 season.
Diamond made an immediate impact, winning his first Pro Tour monument on his second race day of the 2026 season at Milano - Sanremo. He became the third British cyclist to win a monument, joining Tom Simpson and Mark Cavendish.
Diamond outsprints Gianni Moscon to win the 2026 Milano - Sanremo.
In May, Diamond pre-celebrated the birth of his son, Marcus Diamond Jr., with the overall victory and a stage win at the Tour of California.
Grace announced the upcoming Vuelta a Espana would be her final race, so she could focus on being a mother and raising a family.
With her prowess, SEG - Quick Step dominated the opening week of the Grand Tour. On Stage 5, they broke the race wide open and allowed their GC leader Diamond to not only win a memorable stage but take over the GC lead as well. Diamond held onto the red jersey through the second week after a thrilling ITT performance and some gutsy climbing.
Despite a crash scare on Stage 20, Diamond coasted to his first-ever Grand Tour win with a comfortable third week at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana. Diamond took the top step on the podium next to Brandon McNulty and Marc Soler, and also won this points competition.
Diamond stands on the Vuelta podium after winning the red and green jersey.
The Fresh Start
(2027-Currently)
Spoiler
After five seasons with SEG, Marcus Diamond signed a three-year contract with Team HSE-Liquigas in Slovenia. Diamond struggled to adjust to the new environment early on and had a disappointing classics season. He eventually recalibrated his gears to win seven stages and the Tour de Romandie during his debut 2027 season with the team.
Diamond finished 4th in the Tour de France, his best result yet, before withdrawing himself from the Vuelta a Espana due to fatigue. It's the second time in his career he hasn't finished the Vuelta. Diamond was unable to defend his RR national title and then placed 12th at the World RR Championships while helping former teammate Simon Yates win the rainbow jersey.
This three-day camp is designed to evaluate cycling talent.
Cyclists start out at the very bottom and must prove their capabilities to our scouts over the next few days. We have roster spots to fill next year, so impress us and perhaps a professional cycling contract is on the horizon.
Training Camp - Day 1 *Community Growth Development*
Help discover Marcus Diamond and develop his cycling attributes.
Spoiler
- Each member gets 3.0 points to spread however they like over the 13 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 55.0.
- Stats are bumped up in PCM when they hit that number, ex. 55.9 = 55 in-game, and 61.4 = 61 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 85. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery.
Comment below to provide stat upgrades. Make sure to stop by the next two days as well to see how Marcus is progressing and provide more input.
You totally took an idea I had been drafting for months to do a baseball and cycling story You beat me to it! I was fairly close to putting it in action!
PCM.Daily NFL Fantasy Football Champion: 2012 PCM.Daily NHL Prediction Game Champion: 2013 PCM.Daily NFL Prediction Game Champion: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
We all looked at each other, eyeing up our competition. I'd had never been in such a hostile, cut-throat environment before. We were all here for one reason: outshine each other and prove we belonged here.
I noticed right away that I had clear size advantage over everyone else. While that would have been a huge bonus on the pitch, on the tarmac it's mostly seen as a hindrance to be lugging around my weight.
Overall, I think I had an average day. Could have been better and could have been worse. Right in the middle of the pack. Hopefully, I can stand out more tomorrow.
Evaluation
Training Camp - Day 2 *Community Growth Development*
Help discover Marcus Diamond and develop his cycling attributes.
Spoiler
- Each member gets 3.0 points to spread however they like over the 13 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 55.0.
- Stats are bumped up in PCM when they hit that number, ex. 55.9 = 55 in-game, and 61.4 = 61 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 85. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery.
- Comment below to provide stat upgrades
Progession Potential: If two stats reach 60 after the second day of training camp, Marcus Diamond won't be cut from the camp a day early.
PCM.Daily NFL Fantasy Football Champion: 2012 PCM.Daily NHL Prediction Game Champion: 2013 PCM.Daily NFL Prediction Game Champion: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing