Johan Manzambi scores twice as a substitute to fire Switzerland past Bosnia at World Cup 2026

Johan Manzambi announced himself on the world stage with a brace from the bench as Switzerland defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 in their World Cup 2026 Group B match in Los Angeles, putting Murat Yakin’s side firmly back on course in the tournament.

The 20-year-old entered the game as a substitute and needed just 19 minutes to make his mark, opening his account with a sublime volley before adding Switzerland’s fourth in the 90th minute. The double made him the youngest substitute in World Cup history to score multiple goals in a single fixture, extending his international record to five goals in 13 appearances for the Swiss.

Who is Johan Manzambi?

Manzambi is already the youngest player in Switzerland’s 26-man World Cup squad — by more than two years — yet his emergence at senior level has been anything but surprising to those who have followed his club career closely.

Born in Geneva to parents from Angola and DR Congo, Manzambi came through the youth ranks at Freiburg and broke into the first team in 2024, coinciding with the appointment of head coach Julian Schuster. He is described as an all-action midfielder: a player who scores goals, creates chances, wins possession and takes on opponents with regularity.

In his first two seasons with the Bundesliga club, Manzambi accumulated nine goals and seven assists as Freiburg — affectionately known as the Breisgau Brazilians — reached the Europa League final. He scored their second goal in the semi-final against Braga, helping tip a 4-3 aggregate in their favour, and also featured in the showpiece defeat to Aston Villa.

Freiburg narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification under Schuster, finishing just two points short in his debut season, but Manzambi’s individual trajectory has continued upward regardless.

Transfer interest set to intensify

Napoli, Chelsea and Manchester United had already been credited with interest in Manzambi before his World Cup heroics. That attention is unlikely to diminish after a performance that captured a global audience. At 20, with Europa League final experience, a growing international record and now a landmark World Cup moment to his name, Manzambi is fast becoming one of the most coveted young midfielders in European football.