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While elite football clubs now have scouting systems that won’t allow knee-jerk signings on the back of a few good games in an international tournament, World Cup breakout stars are still exciting all the same.
From teenage sensations to hat-trick heroes, we’re going to run through the four stars which have staked their claim on the biggest stage of them all.
Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham is arguably the biggest name on this list so, initially, we weren’t sure if he counted as a “breakout” star. We then remembered that he is still only 19 years old and hadn’t scored a goal for England prior to the World Cup and determined that he absolutely does.
The Borussia Dortmund man was England’s best performer throughout the tournament, driving his team forward with a maturity that goes way beyond his years. Although he may have fallen into the trap of becoming too concerned with the referee’s performance during the quarter-final with France, Bellingham will learn from the experience and become an even better player.
Prior to the World Cup, the former Birmingham City player was already been linked with Europe’s biggest clubs but now Borussia Dortmund will be able to ask for even more money than they initially would have done. Whether that means another year in Germany or not remains to be seen but one thing is for sure, Bellingham is going to become a world star.
Josko Gvardiol
Donning a mask throughout the tournament, Josko Gvardiol was always going to stand out. However, mask or no mask his performances have been so dominant at the back for Croatia that he would have attracted attention either way.
Without him, it’s not outrageous to suggest that Croatia might not have made it out of the group considering their team is built on defensive solidarity. The 20-year-old has been the standout central defender at the World Cup with both technical ability and physicality in abundance.
Like Bellingham, Gvardiol plays his club football in Germany. RB Leipzig will be bracing themselves for a series of offers in January and the Summer for the defender.
Azzedine Ounahi
Although Morocco’s historic run to the semi-finals was built on a defence that only conceded three goals throughout, it was Azzedine Ounahi in midfield who caught the eye of most (including Spain manager, Luis Enrique).
Alongside Amrabat in midfield, Ounahi ensured that his team were able to enjoy a reasonable amount of possession in each game. This allowed their strong defensive unit to regather themselves after each wave of attack.
The Moroccan plays with flair, toughness and guile so it makes sense that Barcelona are reportedly keen on him. Ounahi plays his club football for Agnes in Ligue 1 and they may think about chasing in on the 22-year-old while the demand is there.
Goncalo Ramos
Benfica forward, Goncalo Ramos probably headed to the World Cup in Qatar thinking he was going to spend his winter sat on the bench watching the likes of Ronaldo, Felix, Silva and Fernandes from the sidelines.
However, Ronaldo’s age and poor form mean there was an opportunity for Ramos to make a name for himself and he more than delivered. For Portugal’s round-of-16 tie with Switzerland, Ramos came in for Ronaldo and netted a superb hat trick to fire his country into the quarter-finals.
Although he did very little in their defeat to Morocco, Ramos did enough in the game against Switzerland to attract the attention of some of the world’s top clubs.
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