Vote now: Who was your Bundesliga breakout star at the FIFA World Cup 2026?
Ibrahim Maza, Antonio Nusa, Johan Manzambi, Yan Diomande and Kerim Alajbegović have all caught the eye at this summer's FIFA World Cup 2026. But which of the five Bundesliga youngsters impressed you the most at the tournament?
Have your say exclusively in the Bundesliga app.
Johan Manzambi: The Swiss youngster was a revelation for Freiburg last season, tearing up the Bundesliga before going on to be one of the biggest surprises at the World Cup.
Against Bosnia and Herzegovina, he came off the bench to score twice as his side stormed to a late win. As a starter against Canada, he led Switzerland to victory with a goal and an assist, while also played a decisive role against Algeria by setting up the opening goal.
With three goals and two assists, the Freiburg talent was involved in five of Switzerland’s ten World Cup goals. Who knows what the Swiss might have achieved had it not been for his unfortunate injury...
Watch: Manzambi on the way to the very top
Ibrahim Maza: Following his move to Bayer Leverkusen, Maza quickly established himself as one of the league’s best midfielders during the 2025/26 campaign.
The 20-year-old was also Algeria's creative force at the 2026 World Cup. Whether playing as a number 10 or a number 8, Maza was the linchpin of the North Africans’ attack, providing the most shots on goal for his team and being named Man of the Match in their second group match against Jordan.
Watch: Magnificent Maza
Antonio Nusa: Alongside star striker Erling Haaland, the RB Leipzig forward also played a major part in Norway’s World Cup fairy tale, which saw the Vikings reach the quarter-finals.
His incredible goal in the round of 32 against Côte d'Ivoire fired his side to victory and also saw him named Man of the Match. In the round of 16, he even outshone his idol Neymar, before delivering a strong cameo performance in their quarter-final against England, during which he came within centimetres of scoring what could have been the winning goal.
Watch: Nusa - Leipzig's Norwegian star
Yan Diomande: Leipzig’s star man picked up where he left off after his outstanding debut season in the Bundesliga and was one of Côte d'Ivoire’s key attacking forces in all four of their World Cup matches.
With explosive dribbling and relentless attacking drive, the 19-year-old even gave Germany captain Joshua Kimmich a run for his money in their second group match. Although he was denied a goal of his own, Diomande provided his first World Cup assist against Curaçao.
Watch: Yan Diomande's 2025/26 season in retrospect
Kerim Alajbegović: The Cologne-born player, who returned to Leverkusen from RB Salzburg thanks to a buy-back clause, certainly made his mark with Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup.
After coming on as a substitute, Alajbegović scored a stunning long-range goal in their third group match against Qatar. In doing so, he made two pieces of World Cup history by becoming his country’s youngest ever goalscorer at the tournament and the country's youngest player to score from outside the penalty area since records began.
