Six of the best post-World Cup 2026 transfers: Vozinha, Torres, Spence… | OneFootball

Four weeks have passed since the World Cup final and plenty of players from the tournament have been making moves since then.

It happens every four years. The World Cup is the perfect stage for a player to put themselves in the spotlight and attract new suitors at club level.

This summer has been no different, with several protagonists from the World Cup making moves since. We’ve rounded up six of the best and dropped some honourable mentions too.

Vozinha (Chaves to Colo-Colo)

He was the World Cup’s ultimate cult hero. You’d never heard of him before it, we hadn’t either, but now we all know who Vozinha is.

Vozinha made a massive impression with Cape Verde. If he wasn’t 40, you wonder what kind of clubs might have been taking note.

The keeper’s contract with Chaves in Portugal expired at the end of June, after which a move to Colo-Colo in Chile started taking shape.

But it wasn’t a straightforward saga, with visa issues delaying his flight and then a good old transfer battle unfolding when Morocco’s Berkane tried to hijack the deal.

In the end, though, Vozinha’s move to Colo-Colo was completed. He has signed a six-month deal with a year’s extension option.

Johan Manzambi (Freiburg to Aston Villa)

A more orthodox candidate for the World Cup’s breakout star, Manzambi shone for Switzerland with three goals and two assists from four games.

It all looked set to lead to a move to Newcastle until Aston Villa pounced and broke their transfer record to sign the midfielder.

The 20-year-old will be hoping to take the move to Villa in his stride after playing against them in the Europa League final last season.

Ferran Torres (Barcelona to PSG)

Torres wrote his name into the history books by scoring the winning goal for Spain in the World Cup final against Argentina.

But he won’t be playing in the Spanish league any longer after leaving Barcelona for reigning Champions League holders PSG.

It’s the first time the scorer of the World Cup’s winning goal(s) has moved in the same summer since Brazil’s Ronaldo went from Inter to Real Madrid in 2002.

Djed Spence (Tottenham to Inter)

The interesting thing with Spence is that he never quite nailed down a solid place with Spurs, but managed to get England to rely on him this summer.

His rise to prominence on the international stage made it an optimal time for Tottenham to cash in, which they did when Inter came calling.

Spence has played in Serie A before on loan at Genoa, so it’s not a completely random move.

They needed a new wing-back after Denzel Dumfries’ move to Real Madrid and will be hoping Spence can establish himself.

Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig to Real Madrid)

One of this summer’s biggest movers, Diomande went into the World Cup with Ivory Coast thinking he might be off to Liverpool, decided partway through it he’d prefer to join PSG, and ended up after it at Real Madrid.

Diomande became a hot prospect mostly down to his form with RB Leipzig last season rather than any World Cup exploits, but he did make one assist from four appearances in North America.

Now he’s a €125m player who’s signed up for seven years with Real Madrid.

Rodri (Manchester City to Barcelona)

Not official yet, this one, but on the verge of completion.

Rodri was outstanding at the World Cup, reminding everyone why he’s one of the best players on the planet at his peak.

And it’s set him up for a blockbuster La Liga return, not with Real Madrid as initially expected but with Barcelona.

Rodri will be signing a four-year deal with Barca to see out the rest of his prime.