How Manzambi became one of Europe's best young talents

Manzambi is already successful the treatment with chap nominees Lamine Yamal of Barcelona, Real Madrid's Yan Diomande and caller Manchester City midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi for the champion young subordinate successful the satellite award.

He scored 3 goals successful 4 games for Switzerland astatine the World Cup earlier a genu wounded ended his tournament, lone a twelvemonth aft making his afloat planetary debut.

It is simply a accelerated emergence for a subordinate who utilized to instrumentality to Freiburg's academy to bash his washing.

Bernhard Weis, who gave Manzambi his debut for Freiburg Under-19s, told BBC Sport: "He is playing for the professionals and helium comes to america astatine the academy and brings immoderate soiled clothes.

"He didn't person a washing instrumentality truthful helium comes present and washes immoderate clothes.

"I would talk with him and past helium would prime up immoderate young guys from the under-13s, under-14s and instrumentality them to the bid station.

"He would spot the guys and say, 'come with me, I'll instrumentality you to the station', truthful they could get home. That's Johan Manzambi."

As for his profile, though, Weis did not expect a Ballon d'Or information coming truthful quickly.

He added: "I didn't spot that. I saw thing for the archetypal team, for us, but this way, nary chance.

"The archetypal fractional twelvemonth astatine Freiburg it was not truthful casual for him, he's not truthful beardown and he's not truthful stable. He enactment connected 5 kilos and past helium thought, 'now I go, it's the close moment, I volition beryllium faster and stronger'.

Massimo Lombardo, Servette's academy manager agreed. He archetypal worked with Manzambi erstwhile helium was 15 and oversaw his aboriginal improvement earlier helium moved to Freiburg arsenic a 17-year-old successful 2023.

"It is simply a existent astonishment for galore people, that helium tin bash thing peculiar truthful quickly," helium told BBC Sport.

"For me, the quality helium tin marque is due to the fact that of his mentality, personality, enthusiasm and courage. He has the method skills and tactical skills and the carnal anticipation present to execute successful England.