3 notable breakout stars from the World Cup so far

Every four years, new stars are unearthed from the World Cup. Some who do well go on to earn themselves big moves to clubs in high-profile leagues. we take a look at three breakout stars from this year’s edition so far.

Bouaddi represented his country of birth France at various youth levels and was linked with the French national team before opting to play for Morocco at senior level. Had he waited for an opportunity to play for France, he’d likely have missed out on Les Bleus selection. His decision looks to have paid off as he is holding his own and shining for Morocco so far. The 18-year-old is good at intercepting and finding space. He was a reason that Brazil’s Casemiro was made to look very ordinary in the two nations’ 1-1 draw.

USA have had a brilliant start to the World Cup and put recent questionable form behind them. At 21, Freeman is the youngest player in the experienced squad but has delivered sterling performances so far at right-back. Blessed with pace, he is cool in defence and also an attacking threat as he proved by scoring in the 2-0 victory over Australia. Not many would have known Freeman prior to the tournament, but he is USA’s latest star and it’s now easy to see why Villarreal roped him in from the MLS in January.

Manzambi was the Europa League Young Player of the Season as his club Freiberg reached the final, which they lost 3-0 to Aston Villa. He already has three goals in the World Cup and helped the Swiss finish as winners of Group B. The 20-year-old came off the bench to net a double in a 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina and bagged the winner in a 2-1 victory against co-hosts Canada to close out the group. Manzambi is unlikely to be a Freiberg player for much longer at this rate.