Ranging from a 40-year-old goalkeeper to a 17-year-old wonder kid, this hasn’t been the usual group of World Cup breakout stars.
Before this year’s World Cup had even kicked off, the football world had already selected its first breakout star, even if it had nothing to do with the performances on the pitch. This was Tim Payne, the 32-year-old right back who represents New Zealand. Payne’s Instagram following skyrocketed after an Argentinian influencer called Valen Scarsini, known as “El Scarso”, dubbed him the “least known” player at the tournament. The influencer demanded that his fan base follow and make posts about the Wellington Phoenix player. In a matter of days, the right back’s Instagram followers went from under 5,000 to over 600,000! This just kept rising. Even with the New Zealand national team not making it out of the group stage, Payne’s follower count on Instagram now stands at 5.7 million.
Let’s focus on some players who have made their mark on this World Cup due to standout performances on the biggest stage.
Vozinha (Cape Verde, Goalkeeper, 40 years old)
It feels as if Vozinha has won the hearts of all football fans during this World Cup. The 40-year-old veteran kicked off his tournament with a clean sheet in a goalless draw against current European champions, Spain. It was almost a forgone conclusion that Spain were going to put Cape Verde to the sword and score at will. Vozinha made sure this was not the case. He made SEVEN saves in an outstanding performance that gave his country their first-ever World Cup point. The goalkeeper went on to help his side draw their last two games of the group stage, including another clean sheet in a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia.
Against all odds, the Cape Verde team made it through to the knockouts, with Argentina up next. Messi vs. Vozinha: a matchup that football fans were eager for, and it certainly lived up to expectations. Vozinha made save after save, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough this time around. They lost the game in extra time, 3-2, but Vozinha still won the hearts of many. Similar to Payne from New Zealand, this World Cup has blown up Vozinha’s Instagram following astronomically. Thanks to that heroic performance against Spain, he now has 27.2 million followers. The 40-year-old is currently a free agent, but due to his breakout performances this summer, he is already being linked to numerous clubs. One club rumoured to be interested is Inter Miami. Could we see Messi and Vozinha linking up in the MLS next season?
Gilberto Mora (Mexico, Midfielder, 17 years old)
Mora has been tipped as a top talent with quite a lot of expectation in Mexico for a few years now. He was nicknamed “the flea” as a youngster due to his ability to chase relentlessly. Mora currently plays for Tijuana in the Liga MX but has constantly been linked to top clubs in Europe such as Real Madrid and Manchester City. Mexico managed to win all three of their group stage games, with Mora featuring in two of them, becoming the country’s youngest-ever player to feature at a World Cup.
Clearly catching the eye in his first few games of the tournament, the 17-year-old was in from the start in their Round of 32 game against Ecuador. Another great performance from Mora helped his team to a 2-0 win and a place in the round of 16 against England. This turned out to be the end of the road for Mexico and this exciting talent, but it certainly won’t be the last we see of “the flea” anytime soon.
Johan Manzambi (Switzerland, Midfielder, 20 years old)
This Swiss youngster has completely turned the narrative around his country’s World Cup chances this summer. Switzerland started the group stage with a draw against Qatar, before having to face Bosnia and Herzegovina. Manzambi was benched for the second game in a row. It remained goalless in the 70th minute. Finally, the youngster was brought onto the pitch with 20 minutes to make the difference. Three minutes later, he gets his chance to shine, scoring his first World Cup goal to put his side 1-0 up. He then goes on to grab a second and round off a 4-1 win for the Swiss, essentially guaranteeing his side a spot in the knockouts.
Since the Bosnia and Herzegovina game, Manzambi has played from the start, adding another goal to his tally and then an assist in their Round of 32 victory against Algeria. A date with Colombia in the Round of 16 is up next for the Swiss and this promising young talent.
Julián Quiñones (Mexico, Forward, 29 years old)
Quiñones is another one of the late bloomer break out stars from this tournament. The Al-Qadsiah striker was born in Colombia, but having lived in Mexico since before the age of 18, he was able to represent El Tri. Considering his goal record in the Saudi Pro League last season, it may be slightly questionable to call him a ‘breakout’ star. Last season in Saudi Arabia, Quiñones scored more goals than he played games, with 37 goals in 35 games across the Saudi competitions.
However, he had not done it in a top-five league or an international tournament until now. Quiñones scored the opening goal of the 2026 World Cup against South Africa before then adding another 3 goals to his tally, including goals in back-to-back knockout games. After ending his World Cup campaign with four goals in five matches and providing one assist, there is no doubt that major European teams will be interested in Quiñones before the summer transfer window closes.
