Switzerland are back in contention at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after a commanding 4-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Group B, and the name on everyone's lips is Johan Manzambi — a 20-year-old whose two-goal cameo in Los Angeles announced his arrival on the biggest stage in football.

Manzambi entered the match as a substitute and needed just 19 minutes to change the course of the game. He broke the deadlock with a sublime volley, then sealed Switzerland's win with a fourth goal in the 90th minute, writing his name into the record books as the youngest-ever substitute to score multiple goals in a single World Cup fixture.

The youngest in the squad by some distance

Before this tournament, Manzambi was already turning heads as the youngest player in Murat Yakin's 26-man World Cup squad — younger than any teammate by more than two years. He arrived in Los Angeles with five goals in 13 appearances for Switzerland, a tally that now stands at seven after his performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Born in Geneva to parents from Angola and DR Congo, Manzambi came through the youth ranks at Freiburg and broke into the first team in 2024, coinciding with the appointment of head coach Julian Schuster. His emergence could not have been better timed.

A Bundesliga breakthrough at Freiburg

Across his first two seasons with the Bundesliga club, Manzambi accumulated nine goals and seven assists as the Breisgau Brazilians made an improbable run to the UEFA Europa League final. He scored Freiburg's second goal in their semi-final against Braga — a 4-3 aggregate triumph — and continued to impress in the final against Aston Villa, despite his side falling short.

Schuster's side had also come within two points of UEFA Champions League qualification in his debut season, underlining the rapid rise of a club that Manzambi has been central to.

European clubs are circling

It comes as little surprise that Napoli, Chelsea, and Manchester United have all been linked with the midfielder ahead of this tournament. His display against Bosnia and Herzegovina will only sharpen that interest. Described as an all-action midfielder with the ability to score, create, and win possession in tight spaces, Manzambi looks every bit a player destined for the very highest level.

At 20 years old, Switzerland may well have unearthed their most exciting talent in a generation — and the World Cup has only just begun.