Each World Cup presents us with a new footballing star. Enzo Fernandez in Qatar. Kylian Mbappe in Russia. James Rodriguez in Brazil. Who will it be in the USA, Canada and Mexico?
Sky Sports has used Gemini Sports. amobile-first, next-generation commandcentrefor squadplanning,to provide insight into which Premier League players these potential breakout stars arestatisticallymost similar to.
It has been a remarkable rise for the RB Leipzig forward. Liverpool have made Yan Diomande their top target for the right-wing position after Mohamed Salah's exit. It was only a year ago. the German club plucked him from relative obscurity in a £17m deal from Leganes.
The price has gone up for the Ivory Coast international, who is also wanted by Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United. RB Leipzig are demanding more than £86m (€100m) for the 19-year-old. He had only started half a dozen games at Leganes when he moved last summer.
Diomande has been a revelation in his first Bundesliga season, scoring 12 goals. providing eight assists, while completing the most successful dribbles of any other player in the competition. His 118 completed take-ons were 50 more than the next-best player.
Dribbling is Diomande's super skill,. Ivory Coast, having failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, will hope their teenage star can light up the tournament this summer with his devastating skills. He will form a forward line that includes Manchester United's Amad Diallo.
Reaching the knockout stages would mark an historic achievement for the African nation. which has never made it out of the groups at the World Cup. Diomande could come up against his Leipzig captain, David Raum, when they face Group E opponents Germany in Toronto.
Diomande has experience of a major tournament after starting in all. one game at AFCON, scoring against Burkina Faso in the last 16 before Ivory Coast were knocked out by Egypt in the quarter-finals. But this tournament will be somewhat of a homecoming for him.
Diomande left Africa as a boy to move to Florida, where he trained at a specialist athletic academy. Once his potential was identified, he was touted around Europe, trialling at Bournemouth, Crystal Palace. Chelsea as well as Rangers in Scotland before Leganes signed him.
Those clubs might come to rue their decision to overlook Diomande when he returns to North America this summer. The world will be watching to see for themselves why there is so much hype.
According to Gemini Sports, Diomande's profile is most similar to Bournemouth'sDavid Brooks, Sunderland'sChemsdine Talbiand Newcastle'sAnthony Elangaamong current Premier League players.
Tottenham avoiding Premier League relegation has ended the noise around one of their most valuable assets moving on this summer. The 19-year-old defender has established himself as one of Europe's best young centre-backs on loan at Hamburg this season.
Now Luka Vuskovic looks set to star for Croatia at this summer's World Cup a year after making his first appearance for the senior national team. Spurs only completed the teenager's signing from Croatian side Hajduk Split last summer for a reported £10m.
Named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season. Vuskovic impressed with his set-piece threat, ending the season with six league goals, more than any other centre-back, one of which was a miraculous no-look back-heel in a 3-2 win against Werder Bremen in December.
In January, Vuskovic's last-minute header earned Hamburg a 2-2 draw against eventual champions Bayern Munich, but it was the Croatian's defensive capabilities, up against an attack that featured Harry Kane. Michael Olise, which caught the eye of a Germany legend.
"It's not just about winning headers and tackles or scoring goals. He can organise a defence. That's something you find very rarely," Lothar Matthaus, a World Cup winner in 1990, toldSky in Germany."He's 18 years old, but he's playing with the cool head of someone who has played at three World Cups. won two Champions League titles."
Vuskovic has been selected for his first World Cup this summer. He made his senior international debut in June last year. yet is already a shoo-in to start for Croatia, who will face England in Group L, providing Spurs fans with a chance to see their new star up close.
National team boss Zlatko Dalic believes Croatia has found its starting centre-back for the next 10 to 15 years. Captain Luka Modric. who made his Croatia debut a year before Vuskovic was born, tipped the defender to play at the highest level after the March internationals. Vuskovic is one to watch.
According to Gemini Sports. Vuskovic's statistical profile is most similar to Everton'sJames Tarkowski, Fulham'sIssa Diopand Newcastle'sMalick Thiawamong current Premier League players.
Left-back has been a problem area for England over the years,. Nico O'Reilly, after an impressive breakthrough season at Manchester City, has addressed that. The 21-year-old, named Premier League Young Player of the Season, is set to be a starter at the World Cup.
O'Reilly shot from exciting prospect to virtually indispensable at City under Pep Guardiola after making the left-back position his own in the absence of the injured Rayan Aït-Nouri early in the season. He has become so much more than just a full-back, though.
His match-winning performance in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal at Wembley outlined exactly that. O'Reilly's double fired City to their first of two domestic trophies when their season was at risk of collapsing after Real Madrid dumped them out of the Champions League. the Premier League title seemed out of reach.
At 6ft 4in, O'Reilly is strong in both boxes. has a knack for popping up with a goal, scoring nine times for City this season. Tuchel's desire for England to be a danger at set-pieces at the World Cup only strengthens O'Reilly's claim to the left-back position.
O'Reilly primarily played as a creative midfielder in City's academy and has been used in nearly every position by Guardiola. Some of his best performances have come in the middle of the park,. that versatility makes him an even more valuable inclusion in Thomas Tuchel's squad.
The England boss will use him at left-back in a 4-2-3-1 with either Marcus Rashford. Anthony Gordon cutting in ahead of him on the wing. That setup should provide O'Reilly plenty of room to maraud into and cause problems in the final third.
O'Reilly made his full Premier League debut less than a year ago. has already become a decisive player for City in the biggest games. Now it is time to do the same for England at the World Cup.
According to Gemini Sports. O'Reilly's statistical profile is most similar to Fulham's Kevin, Spurs'Destiny Udogie, Everton'sJack Grealishand Liverpool'sMilos Kerkezamong current Premier League players.
The variety of players who operate in different positions from this search is reflective of O'Reilly's versatility. He often shifts from left-back to left-winger. tucks into midfield in a single game, which is why he scores as having a similar profile to wingers and full-backs.
Brazil’s forgotten wonderkid has fought his way back into this summer's World Cup squad ahead of Chelsea star Joao Pedro after rebuilding his career on loan at Lyon from Real Madrid.
The 19-year-old striker moved to France in January on the advice of Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti, whose successor at Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso, had limited the 19-year-old to just three games, stifling Endrick's progress. raising doubts about his future.
Endrick’s subsequent form at Lyon has restored optimism that one of Brazil’s greatest young talents can still fulfil his potential. He ended his loan in France with eight goals and eight assists in 21 appearances. Now he is hoping to bring that form to the World Cup with Brazil.
Endrick's place at the World Cup was in doubt before the last international break after Ancelotti had said he was a player for the future rather than the present. The response from Endrick in a friendly against Croatia might just have changed Ancelotti's mind.
Croatia equalised to make it 1-1 almost as soon as the teenager was brought on but his impact was decisive. Endrick won the penalty that Igor Thiago scored before setting up Gabriel Martinelli in stoppage time. Endrick had only been on the pitch for about 15 minutes.
The teenager said he had felt a sense of urgency to deliver, concerned his chance was slipping away. It shows the pressure the young striker. who turns 20 just two days after the World Cup final, has been under since Real Madrid signed him from Palmeiras as a teenager.
After a year that has forced him to do a lot of growing up. perhaps now Endrick is ready to deliver on the expectation he has been burdened with for so long.
According to Gemini Sports. Endrick's profile is most similar to Liverpool'sMohamed Salah, Manchester United'sBryan Mbeumo, West Ham'sJarrod Bowenand Fulham'sHarry Wilsonamong current Premier League players.
The Brazilian Bournemouth signed to replace Antoine Semenyo arrived as a relative unknown in the January transfer window. The teenager was a big prospect in Brazil, scoring 20 goals in 57 games for Vasco da Gama,. his career has taken a huge step since moving to England.
Rayan is in Brazil's World Cup squad after his mid-season form helped propel Bournemouth to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League. securing qualification to Europe for the first time in the club's history.
The 19-year-old's five goals. two assists in 15 Premier League appearances have ensured Semenyo's exit has quickly been forgotten, with attention now turning to ensuring Rayan does not follow him out the door at Bournemouth. They want to keep him for another year.
Bournemouth's new star has an £86.6m (€100m) release clause which kicks in next summer. The Premier League club hope the chance for Rayan to continue his development with them. play in the Europa League will be enough to convince him to stick around.
Rayan nearly scored a goal-of-the-season contender at West Ham for Bournemouth
Rayan's inclusion in Carlo Ancelotti's squad for the World Cup comes somewhat as a surprise. given his first call-up was in the final international break before the Brazil boss made up his mind. Like Endrick, his inclusion came at the expense of Joao Pedro.
However, Rayan has plenty of competition for minutes with Vincius Junior, Raphinha, Matheus Cunha. Gabriel Martinelli also in the squad. He made an impression in the warm-up game against Panama on May 31. though, with a well-taken goal in a 6-2 friendly win.
That was only his first goal for Brazil. yet the comments he made in the last international break give you an indication of how confident Rayan is. The Bournemouth winger said it is his ambition to play for the “most powerful team in the world” in five years. It is only a matter of time before Rayan explodes onto the world stage.
According to Gemini Sports. Rayan's statistical profile is most similar to Arsenal'sNoni Madueke, Fulham'sHarry Wilson, Newcastle'sAnthony Elanga, Liverpool'sMohamed Salahand Nottingham Forest'sOmari Hutchinsonamong current Premier League players.
The next Galactico in waiting? Argentina's Nico Paz, a product of the Real Madrid academy, has shone under Cesc Fabregas at Como. his pathway back to the Bernabeu could already be paved.
Real Madrid have a buy-back clause in the playmaker's contract that can be triggered in this window for around £7.7m or next summer for around £8.6m,. Jose Mourinho is keen to bring Paz in right away.
However, Como want to keep Paz for another season after he played a crucial role in the club's historic qualification for the Champions League,. they might be helped in that quest by Real Madrid's presidential elections delaying Mourinho's appointment.
Whenever Paz does join Real Madrid. his transfer fee will represent incredible value for a player who has already established himself as an Argentina international. His 12 goals and seven assists in 35 Serie A appearances this season make him one to watch.
Fabregas' fluid system at Como has allowed Paz to flourish, in his element when operating in between the lines. given freedom to roam from a central position. He can also operate from the right and as a false nine, giving Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni plenty of options.
With Lionel Messi captaining Argentina at his sixth –. surely final – World Cup, this tournament will become a passing of the torch moment for the holders. Paz currently looks the most impressive of Argentina's newest cohort of stars.
According to Gemini Sports, Paz's profile is most similar to Sunderland'sHabib Diarra, Nottingham Forest'sMorgan Gibbs-White,. Brighton'sMatt O'Rileyamong current Premier League players.
Paz's similarity to Gibbs-White is interesting given Spurs have held an interest in both players over the last two summers in their search for a new No 10. which resulted in them signing Xavi Simons a year ago.
Frieburg's 20-year-old midfielder is the youngest player to be included in Switzerland's World Cup squad. Johan Manzambi makes the cut on the back of an impressive season in the Bundesliga. has attracted attention from top clubs in Europe.
The youngster was watching the Swiss national team in fan parks at Euro 2016 a decade ago. is now set to partner Granit Xhaka, who played in that tournament, in midfield this summer.
Although Manzambi is best deployed as a box-to-box midfielder, he has the flexibility to play almost anywhere. Freiburg have also used him as a No 6, No 10 and left winger this season.
Manzambi dons the No 9 shirt for Switzerland, although he is yet to play as an out-and-out striker. The 20-year-old has shown his threat in the final third this season for Freiburg with seven goals. nine assists in 47 appearances across all competitions.
The Geneva-born midfielder played a crucial part in Freiburg reaching the Europa League final. where they were comfortably beaten by Aston Villa. He was named the competition's Young Player of the Season and crowned Switzerland's best young player of 2025.
According to Gemini Sports. Manzambi's profile is most similar to Crystal Palace'sDaichi Kamada, Spurs'Xavi Simonsand Arsenal'sEberechi Ezeamong current Premier League players.
Back-to-back European champions Paris Saint-Germain have an embarrassment of riches in wide forward areas. which has limited opportunities for one of Senegal's brightest rising stars.
AFCON gave Ibrahim Mbaye an opportunity to shine on the big stage,. he took it with both hands, becoming Senegal's youngest-ever scorer at the tournament in a last-16 win over Sudan.
Mbaye, only 17 at the time, was used as an impact sub at AFCON to great effect, registering a goal. two assists in just 168 minutes to help Senegal lift the trophy before CAF made them forfeit the final.
The 18-year-old, who can play on the left. on the right, has plenty of admirers in the Premier League, including Aston Villa, who are considering making a move for Mbaye this summer.
Finding a new club this summer where he will be given more first-team opportunities is a consideration for the PSG academy graduate. who has made 30 appearances this season, mainly off the bench.
The World Cup opens the door for Mbaye to have a greater role. put himself in the shop window to remind those interested clubs why he is worth investing in this summer.
According to Gemini Sports. Mbaye's profile is most similar to Nottingham Forest'sDilane Bakwa, Leeds'Daniel Jamesand Newcastle'sAnthony Elangaamong current Premier League players.
Eden Hazard, Frank Ribery. more recently Leny Yoro - Lille's academy has produced talent of the highest quality over the years and Ayyoub Bouaddi could be next.
The midfielder's stock has skyrocketed since making his debut in 2023/24, becoming the youngest player to ever feature for the club at 16,. teams across Europe are taking notice.
Bouaddi is already being monitored closely by Manchester United as Michael Carrick looks to rejuvenate the midfielder at Old Trafford - expect others to join. race this summer.
The World Cup with Morocco. after choosing to represent the birthplace of his parents despite captaining the France U21s, will provide his next opportunity to impress as clubs watch on from afar.
His performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, helping his side to an impressive 1-0 win while facing off against Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga. Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield, provides a perfect example of how he thrives on the pitch. Goals are not his game; staying two steps ahead of play in midfield is.
He is a press-resistant, intelligent ball winner who advances his team at every opportunity. Midfielders are in demand this summer and you can expect to become familiar with the name Bouaddi.
Alongside a budding career in elite football. Bouaddi is pursuing a degree in mathematics to enhance his tactical understanding of the game, having graduated high school a year earlier than his peers.
According to Gemini Sports. Bouaddi's profile is most similar to West Ham'sMateus Fernandes, Aston Villa'sAmadou Onanaand Bournemouth'sAlex Scottamong current Premier League players.
That trio have all been monitored by United over the past few seasons. which shows the Premier League club are looking for a specific type of midfielder across different leagues.
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