Энэ удаагийн Дэлхийн аварга шалгаруулах тэмцээн олон шинэ оддыг төрүүлж, зарим тоглогчдын нэр хүндийг дэлхийн хэмжээнд өсгөв. Тэмцээний дараа тоглогчид клубүүддээ эргэн ирж байгаа ч тэдний карьер, ирээдүйн төлөвлөгөө тодорхой өөрчлөлтүүдтэй тулгарч байна.
Мексикийн довтлогч Раул Хименес тэмцээний турш гурван гоол оруулж, шигшээ багаа амжилттай удирдсан бол Возинья, Тим Пэйн, Лионел Мпаси нар өөрсдийн хаалга болон хамгаалалтад гайхалтай тоглолт үзүүлж, олон сая дагагчтай болжээ. Ялангуяа, Кабо-Вердегийн хаалгач Возинья Испанийн эсрэг тоглолтод гоц тоглолт үзүүлж, түүний цахим хуудсын дагагчдын тоо 28 саяд хүрсэн байна. Шинэ Зеландын хамгаалагч Тим Пэйн Парагвайн алдартай клуб Олимпия-д нэгдэж, карьераа Өмнөд Америкт үргэлжлүүлэхээр боллоо.
Кабо-Вердегийн хамгаалагч Пико Лопес тэмцээний дараа Шэмрок Роверс клубтээ эргэн ирсэн бол хаалгач Лионел Мпаси Ле Авр дахь байр сууриа үргэлжлүүлэх юм. Мөн Швейцарын довтлогч Йохан Манзамбиг Ньюкасл Юнайтед сонирхож эхэлсэн бол, Фларин Балогун Монакогийн төлөөх тоглолтоо үргэлжлүүлнэ. Канадын ахлагч Стивен Эустакиогийн хувьд Лос-Анжелес-д зээлээр тоглож байсан бөгөөд түүнийг худалдаж авах эсэх нь одоогоор шийдэгдээгүй байна.
Тэмцээний явцад Аргентины хаалганд гайхалтай гоол оруулсан Сидни Лопес Кабрал өнгөрсөн сард Туркийн Трабзонспор багтай гэрээ байгуулжээ. Ийнхүү Дэлхийн аваргын талбайд тодорсон тоглогчид өөрсдийн клубүүддээ эргэн ирж, шинэ сорилтуудтай нүүр тулахад бэлэн болоод байна.
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It has been a World Cup that has produced a number of unlikely cult heroes and breakout stars.
For some, including Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, a starring role in front of a global audience has catapulted them from relative obscurity to worldwide fame, attracting millions of new followers on social media.
But after making their mark at football’s showpiece event this summer, those players will now return to their club teams, where life is often less glamorous.
From the Azteca Stadium to playing Port Vale, returning to Shamrock Rovers, or a fresh start in Paraguay, The Athletic looks at what comes next for some of the tournament’s standout players.
Raul Jimenez
Jimenez, playing in his fourth World Cup with Mexico at the age of 35, rejoined relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers from Fulham on the eve of the tournament.
“Being able to bring Raul back to Wolves is a truly special moment for everyone connected with this football club,” executive chairman Nathan Shi told the club’s website. “Raul is not only one of the finest strikers to ever pull on our gold and black shirt, but he is a player who embodies everything that define Wolves.”
Playing in front of a passionate home Mexican crowd, Jimenez had an excellent tournament, leading the line for Javier Aguirre’s side.
He scored three goals in five starts, including a thumping finish against Ecuador in the round of 32.
Raul Jimenez scores a penalty against England (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
After scoring in Mexico’s opening match against South Africa — his first ever goal at a World Cup — Jimenez was overcome with emotion on the pitch, after his father passed away just three months earlier.
“My Dad was there with me at that moment,” he told BBC Sport afterwards.
Against England in the memorable round of 16 clash, Jimenez scored a penalty, but had two headers kept out by an inspired Jordan Pickford.
Following that match played in front of 80,000 fans in a frenzied atmosphere in Mexico City, Jimenez will now return to club duties in Wolverhampton.
Wolves kick off their campaign with a Carabao Cup fixture at home to Port Vale, before their Championship season begins with a Friday night fixture at home to Blackburn Rovers, followed by a trip to Preston North End.
Vozinha
Cape Verde’s goalkeeper was one of the most talked-about players at the tournament following his man-of-the-match performance against Spain in the group stage.
The 40-year-old goalkeeper, who only turned professional aged 25, helped Cape Verde hold the European champions to a goalless draw with a string of fine saves.
After the game, he gave an emotional interview, in which he paid tribute to his grandparents.
“I cried because I grew up with my grandparents and they could not be there,”told reporters, including The Athletic. “They passed away. My mum could not be here either because of a visa issue, and the money we had to pay for it. We did not manage to do this in time.”
Before the Spain fixture, Vozinha had around 50,000 followers on Instagram, but that has since rocketed to 28 million.
Vozinha impressed again when Cape Verde took reigning World Cup champions Argentina to extra time in a thrilling round of 32 match, that Lionel Scaloni’s side eventually won 3-2.
At club level, Vozinha most recently played for Chaves, in Portugal’s second tier, but departed last month when his contract expired. Before that he had spells at clubs in Angola, Moldova, Cyprus and Slovakia.
Following his World Cup exploits and with his huge social media reach, Vozinha is sure to attract plenty of interest.
Tim Payne
Another player who gained global recognition this tournament was unsuspecting New Zealand defender Tim Payne.
The 32-year-old defender had fewer than 5,000 Instagram followers before the tournament.
However, after social media influencer Valen Scarsini started a campaign to boost his profile, Payne went viral, and his online following soared. He now has 5.7 million followers, more than the population of New Zealand.
That also led to Payne, a right back who played in all three of New Zealand’s group matches, securing a move from Wellington Phoenix to Club Olimpia, Paraguay’s most decorated club. In May, Olimpia were crowned champions for the 48th time. The new season starts up again later this month, with Olimpia at home to Libertad.
Announcing the news on Instagram, Payne said: “I’ve always pushed myself to be the best footballer I can be. To test myself at the very top of South American football, the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana, is one of the most incredible opportunities I could have asked for as a professional.
“Club Olimpia is one of the biggest clubs in South America, with an incredible history, passionate supporters and ambitions that match its stature. I am looking forward to rising to that challenge.”
Pico Lopes
Playing in front of Vozinha at the heart of Cape Verde’s defence was Irish-born Pico Lopes.
Lopes, the captain of Shamrock Rovers, who won a domestic double last season, qualified for Cape Verde through his father, Carlos, who grew up there.
As The Athletic detailed earlier in the tournament, Lopes was working for the Dublin branch of EBS, the building society and mortgage specialist, when Rui Aguas, the former manager of Cape Verde, reached out to him via LinkedIn.
As the message was written in Portuguese, Lopes initially ignored the message before Aguas followed up again a few months later, this time in English.
That led to him declaring for Cape Verde, and he played a crucial role in the nation reaching the last 32 in their tournament debut.
Pico Lopes shakes hands with Lionel Messi (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Returning from the World Cup, Lopes will rejoin his Shamrock Rovers teammates, with the domestic league in full swing — as it runs from February to November.
Rovers are currently seven points clear at the top of the league.
This month has also seen them play in a Champions League first round qualifying match against Floriana, of Malta.
They lost 2-0 in the away first leg on Tuesday and Lopes will not play in the second leg, on July 14.
Their next league match is away to Drogheda United on July 31.
After being greeted by fans at Dublin airport this week, Lopes told the Press Association: “I never thought I’d be on the same pitch as Messi. To be out there competing with the best player in the world, in my opinion, it was a dream.”
Lionel Mpasi
Democratic Republic of the Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi excelled as Sebastien Desabre’s side almost pulled off a World Cup shock against England in the round of 32.
Mpasi,31, produced a series of outstanding saves to keep England at bay, including a brilliant left-handed stop from a Jude Bellingham header and a close-range save to deny Harry Kane, but was ultimately beaten by two late Kane goals.
With Mpasi frustrating England, his Wikipedia page was briefly amended during the match to claim he was Welsh, from Colwyn Bay.
After the match, Kane was full of praise for Mpasi, telling BBC Sport how the goalkeeper made “some unbelievable saves”.
Lionel Mpasi saving from England’s Jude Bellingham (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Mpasi, who was born in France, but qualified for DR Congo through his parents, also had an excellent game in their narrow defeat to Colombia in the group stage.
“I am filled with pride on how we represented Congo,” he told reporters after the England defeat, in quotes reported by AP.
Mpasi will now return to his club side Le Havre, where he is second choice goalkeeper behind Senegal international Mory Diaw.
Le Havre, who finished 14th last season, kick off their Ligue 1 campaign with a home match against AS Monaco on August 23.
Folarin Balogun
Lining up against Le Havre on that first Ligue 1 gameday will be AS Monaco striker Folarin Balogun.
Balogun became one of the major talking points at the tournament when his red card suspension was overturned following an intervention from U.S. president Donald Trump, who revealed he contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino over the matter.
Before that, Balogun had been in fine form for the United States, scoring twice in their opening victory over Paraguay before adding another in the round-of-32 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina prior to that sending off.
Next season will be Balogun’s fourth with Monaco after he joined from Arsenal in August 2023 in a deal worth €40million (£34.4m; $43.4m) after add-ons.
He had his most fruitful campaign in 2025/2026, scoring 19 goals in 43 matches, which included a run of 10 goals in 10 matches towards the end of the season.
Balogun will hope to kick on again next season. After Le Havre, Monaco have two tough matches, at home to Marseille, followed by a trip to Paris Saint-Germain.
Stephen Eustaquio
Eustaquio was Canada’s influential captain as the co-hosts reached the last 16 of a World Cup for the first time in their history.
The 29-year-old scored the last minute winner at the Los Angeles Stadium against South Africa in the round of 32 that sparked wild celebrations.
Eustaquio, who was born in Canada but moved to Portugal when he was seven with his Portuguese parents, currently plays for Porto.
However, eager for regular minutes ahead of the World Cup, he spent the second half of last season on loan to Los Angeles FC.
Los Angeles FC have an option to buy Eustaquio, but a decision has not yet been taken on that.
Stephen Eustaquio’s late winner against South Africa sparks wild celebrations (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)
Johan Manzambi
Exciting attacker Johan Manzambi has played a starring role for a Switzerland side that reached the quarter-final stage for the first time since 1954, before being eliminated by Argentina
Manzambi scored three goals and registered two assists in four games, but missed the Colombia penalty victory with a knock and did not recover sufficiently to face Argentina.
His eye-catching performances have put him on the radar of Europe’s top clubs, with Newcastle United keen to land the 20-year-old.
Manzambi, a versatile attacker and strong dribbler, currently plays for Freiburg in the Bundesliga, where he has scored nine goals in 58 appearances. He started his career at Servette, in Switzerland.
If Manzambi joins Eddie Howe’s side, he could be part of a new-look Newcastle for next season, following the departures of Sandro Tonali to Tottenham, Anthony Gordon to Barcelona and with Bruno Guimaraes eager to join Arsenal.
In terms of incomings, Newcastle have finalised a deal for 18-year-old midfielder Sean Steur from Ajax.
Sidny Lopes Cabral
Sidny Lopes Cabral was another crucial part of the Cape Verde team that progressed from the group stage with three draws.
He then scored the equalising goal against Argentina in extra time to make it 2-2, in what was one of the tournament’s standout moments.
After curling a stunning effort into the top corner, Lopes Cabral raced over to celebrate with the Cape Verde supporters in the stadium.
Sindy Lopes Cabral memorably celebrated in the stands after his wonder goal against Argentina (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The 23-year-old full back, who was playing in the fifth tier of German football three years ago, has enjoyed a meteoric rise. From Rot-Weiss Erfurt, he joined third-tier side Viktoria Koln, before moving to Portugal, where he played for Estrela da Amadora and then Benfica.
He signed for Turkish Super Lig club Trabzonspor from Benfica last month.
