Mbappé, Messi... Manzambi: Is Freiburg ace the FIFA World Cup 2026's breakout star?
Young attacking players hoping to capture fans’ attention at the FIFA World Cup 2026 don’t have it easy.
A cursory glance at the top scorers chart reveals the size of the task - and the scale of the competition. Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi lead the way. Erling Haaland and Harry Kane are hot on their heels.
Seeing Michael Olise top the assist table after the round of 32 comes as no huge surprise either.
Dig a little deeper, however, and you’ll come across another, less familiar name - outside Bundesliga circles at least: Johan Manzambi.
Watch: Manzambi on the way to the very top
One of the stars of Freiburg’s run to a maiden European final in 2025/26, the 20-year-old Switzerland international has carried his club form onto the global stage this summer to help Die Nati reach the last 16 of a major tournament for the seventh time in succession.
Currently third in the FIFA Power Rankings behind Mbappé and Messi, Manzambi has already become the youngest player to reach five goal involvements at a World Cup since records began. Thomas Müller - in 2010 - is the only other player under 21 to do so at the finals.
What makes the feat even more impressive is that Manzambi, who once harboured hopes of a career as a goalkeeper, only played 44 minutes of Switzerland’s opening two Group B games, against Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A 25-minute cameo in the former ended in frustration as a late Miro Muheim own goal denied Murat Yakin’s side all three points, but there has been no stopping Manzambi since.
Switzerland were struggling to break Bosnia’s resistance when the Geneva native entered the fray in the 71st minute of his side’s second group match. By the time the clock had struck 74, Manzambi had thumped his team into the lead with a magnificently executed volley inside the penalty area.
By full-time, he had struck again to help Yakin’s charges secure a 4-1 victory - and claimed his first Player of the Match award.
Had he taken and scored Switzerland’s late penalty - which Granit Xhaka converted - Manzambi would have become the third-youngest player to hit a World Cup hat-trick, after Pele in 1958 and former Germany international Edmund Conen in 1934.
Yakin had no hesitation in handing the youngster his first start against co-hosts Canada, who felt the full force of the Freiburg starlet’s prowess in Vancouver.
Manzambi set up Rubén Vargas for the opener before drilling home the second in an eventual 2-1 win, which confirmed Switzerland’s place in the knockout stages as Group B winners. A second Player of the Match award was in the bag.
Breel Embolo claimed the prize in Switzerland’s 2-0, round-of-32 victory over Algeria, but it was Manzambi who put his side on course for victory with one of the assists of the tournament so far.
After collecting Vargas’ pass just inside the Algeria half, Manzambi carried the ball all the way to the byline, leaving right-back Aïssa Mandi in a daze, before scooping a cross into the path of Embolo, who was left with a simple finish.
The move encapsulated Manzambi’s strengths: blistering pace, quick feet, close control, incredible physique and, most importantly, the composure to dig out a pass or a finish when it matters most.
“He is such a precious player for us,” a delighted Yakin gushed afterwards. “[He’s] a brilliant footballer, and he’s just improving one match after the other. He has so many qualities as a player. It’s just so much fun to work with him and see him perform like that. He’s really evolving.”
Manzambi’s artistry helped lay the foundation for Switzerland’s first World Cup knockout victory since a 4-2 victory over Germany at the 1938 edition - a little over 88 years ago.
With the midfielder in this kind of form, Die Nati will be confident of claiming one or two more before the end of the tournament, starting with Luis Díaz’s Colombia on Tuesday.
Díaz, of course, already enjoys superstar status in Germany following a magnificent debut season with Bayern Munich.
Manzambi, it seems, won’t be far behind.
