Guest written by Brandon Evans
World Cup season is officially over, and club soccer is back (at least for the biggest leagues in Europe and Asia)! But while the World Cup may have ended in July, its effects are still being felt across the soccer landscape, especially in the transfer market. The summer transfer window is always a chaotic time, but this is pushed to an even higher level amidst the World Cup, as this tournament is the best environment to show off your skills and abilities to the entire world, which of course, includes potential buyers. But what were some of the biggest and best World Cup transfers from this summer?
Vozinha to Colo-Colo
Every World Cup has a breakout star, one that truly announces himself to the soccer world during this tournament. But in 2026, it was an unexpected name: Cape Verde’s veteran goalkeeper, Vozinha. Cape Verde were the darlings of the 2026 World Cup, holding Spain to a famous 0-0 draw and pushing Argentina to extra time in the Round of 32. In both of these games against the eventual finalists, Vozinha was the standout player, making a series of wonderful saves. As a result, the 40-year-old goalie, who is already a club journeyman, had interest from all across the world.
His destination ended up being Colo-Colo, the Chilean giants, but not without some drama. After he missed his plane to Santiago because of visa issues, the Moroccan club, RS Berkane, tried to hijack the transfer at the last minute. Still, Colo-Colo remained steadfast in their interest in the Cape Verdean legend. So much so that the league approved a rare rule exemption for jersey restrictions; normally, Chilean players must wear their official surnames on their jerseys, but Vozinha was allowed to don his famous nickname on the back of his jersey.
Rodri to Barcelona
It’s extremely hard for a Spanish player to resist the temptation when either Barcelona or Real Madrid come calling. After the 2026 World Cup, both clubs were interested in him. And for good reason. Already a legend at Manchester City and a Ballon d’Or winner in 2024, Rodri elevated his game even more this summer, captaining Spain to their second World Cup victory. And with the most passes completed in the tournament, most distance covered, most touches on the ball and the highest passing accuracy ever recorded at a single World Cup, he won the Golden Ball, awarded to the most valuable player.
Real Madrid, who are in the midst of a massive rebuild, looked set to bring on Rodri until Barcelona swooped in and signed him for a fee of around 60 million Euros, to the surprise of everyone.
Youri Tielemans to Manchester United
For a decent while now, Youri Tielemans has always been a world-class player. An extremely precise midfielder with a keen eye for goal, he enjoyed a seemingly quiet yet trophy-laden career up until this point. A European champion with Aston Villa this past season, where he even opened the scoring in the Europa League Final with a nice volley, a good World Cup performance was all he needed for a big club to snap him up.
And that is exactly what happened here in 2026. Belgium’s campaign had some highs and lows, but Tielemans was a consistent bright spot. His late equalizer, then winner, against Senegal in the Round of 16 was a particular highlight. With all the extra eyes on him, Manchester United decided to activate his 35 million-pound release clause from Aston Villa.
Johan Manzambi to Aston Villa
Speaking of the Villains, they signed a World Cup star of their own with the likes of the young Swiss striker, Johan Manzambi. Aside from Vozinha, Manzambi is next in line for most prominent breakout star this summer. After Switzerland looked lost in front of goal in their opening match and most of their second, it was Manzambi who exploded onto the scene, playing a crucial role in Switzerland’s wins against Bosnia, Canada and Algeria with three goals, two assists and even a Man-of-the-Match award. His importance became even more evident when he unfortunately missed the quarter-final against Argentina with injury, and Switzerland were narrowly eliminated. But after this impressive showing, Aston Villa, which is experiencing heavy turnover in the offensive department, decided to splash the cash and buy Manzambi for around 60 million Pounds from Freiburg, the team they defeated in the Europa League Final.
Ferran Torres to Paris Saint-Germain
From one forward to another, the next player featured is the one who scored the most important goal of the entire tournament. With his pinpoint volley against Argentina in the 106th minute of the World Cup Final, Ferran Torres sealed the second star on the crest for Spain. Torres had a very successful career overall, but at neither Manchester City nor Barcelona was he the main man; instead, he was used as an impact sub or played out of position. But after this momentous goal, he felt he should reevaluate his situation. After Robert Lewandowski left Barcelona, the Catalans favored bringing in a replacement rather than promoting Ferran. So he decided to look elsewhere. Torres chose to join Luis Enrique’s project at PSG, a manager he is very fond of playing for.
Ismael Saibari to Bayern Munich
Last but not least, another striker, Ismael Saibari. Despite rubbing shoulders with a star-studded squad featuring world-class players like Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Díaz and Yassine Bounou or already well-known young talents like Ayyoub Bouaddi, it was actually the PSV striker, Ismael Saibari, who was Morocco’s best player this World Cup. Scoring in all three of Morocco’s group games, including a pair of very well-taken and crucial goals against Brazil and Scotland, Saibari carried this good form into the Round of 32, where he scored the winning penalty in the shootout to eliminate the Netherlands. Unfortunately for Saibari and Morocco, he sustained an injury in the Round of 16 victory against Canada, forcing him out of the tournament. Without his presence up top against France in the Quarter-Finals, Morocco were left without attacking options and fell to a 2-0 defeat.
For Saibari, though, only days after he scored the winning penalty against the Dutch, Bayern Munich quickly signed him for 50 million Euros on a long-term deal, adding even more depth to an extremely potent attacking frontline in Bavaria.
Which player do you think made the best impression at the 2026 World Cup to earn a big money move? Come down to your local Soccer Post and pick up a jersey from both your favorite World Cup team and favorite club team for the brand-new season!
