How breakout stars are making the most of their World Cup fame

Older football fans were wistful heading into the World Cup by suggesting the tournament no longer surprises us with players that people have been previously unaware of.Gone were the days when an unheralded or young player would emerge from seemingly nowhere, leading to some of the world’s biggest clubs falling over themselves in the hope of signing them.With matches and data so accessible now, it was felt that clubs merely use the World Cup now as confirmation on what they already know about players. It is certainly the case with several of the transfers to have taken place post tournament, with clubs moving for targets they had targeted prior to the World Cup.Yet the case of Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha has appealed to the romantics, with the veteran landing a move directly off the back of his performances in the United States.On Sunday, fans of Chilean giants Colo-Colo swarmed around the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport to greet Vozinha, with their World Cup star having landed to complete a transfer. Here, Daily Mail Sport takes a look at some of the post-World Cup deals with tournament stars looking to make an impact for new clubs following their impressive showings in North America. World Cup cult hero Vozinha landed a move to Chilean side Colo-Colo following the tournament Colo Colo fans waited outside the airport in Santiago on Sunday to welcome the goalkeeperVozinhaThe 40-year-old goalkeeper finally sealed his post-World Cup move to Colo-Colo on Sunday after touching down in Santiago.’I’m very happy to be here. And I want to thank the fans for the patience they’ve shown while waiting for me,’ the Cape Verde star told reporters in Chile. ‘See you at the Monumental Stadium.’It completes a fairytale couple of months for the goalkeeper, who was one of the heroes of Cape Verde’s surprise run to the last-32, before they were beaten 3-2 by Argentina after extra-time. As well as keeping a clean sheet against Spain and Saudi Arabia, Vozinha made 18 saves across the tournament and outperformed his xG against by 0.9.His standout performances were among the highlights of Cape Verde’s debut appearance at the World Cup.At the start of the Spain match in Cape Verde’s World Cup opener, he only had 50,000 followers on Instagram, but after making a memorable seven saves, that number dramatically increased, with Vozinha now having 28.6million followers.Vozinha was named in FIFA’s team of the tournament to complete a remarkable rise. His move to Colo-Colo is the most high-profile of his career, after playing for clubs in his homeland, Moldova, Slovakia, Cyprus and Portugal’s second tier.Vozinha will now look to help Colo-Colo win the league title during his six-month contract, which includes an option of a 12-month extension.  Vozinha was catapulted to fame after his performances against Spain and ArgentinaIsmael SaibariBayern Munich were keen to stress that their £43million signing of Morocco star Saibari had been part of their long-term planning, rather than a reaction to his World Cup displays.’We’re delighted to have secured the services of Ismael Saibari, one of the most exciting forwards at the World Cup,’ said Max Eberl, FC Bayern board member for sport, when Saibari’s move was made official on July 1.’Transfers like this don’t happen on the spur of the moment but are the result of long-term planning: the key factor was that we made our position clear to him early on because we were aware of Ismael’s skills and were able to show him a clear future with us from the start. ‘Ismael Saibari will bring extra quality and unpredictability to our attacking play.’Saibari had led the line for Morocco at the World Cup, with the versatile attacker scoring in all three of their group stage matches. He was forced off injured in their last-16 win over Canada, resulting in the 25-year-old having to watch from the stands as Morocco lost to France in the quarter-finals.Saibari had come into the tournament off the back of being named as the Player of the Year in the Eredivisie, having helped PSV Eindhoven secure a third consecutive title.The Moroccan has now reported to training with Bayern and will be looking to make an impact in the Bundesliga.  Bayern Munich completed the signing of Moroccan World Cup star Ismael Saibari for £43m Bayern were keen to stress that Saibari was part of their long-term planning, rather than a reaction to his impressive World Cup displaysValentin BarcoChelsea’s signing of Barco was confirmed after the World Cup, but was agreed long before it.Daily Mail Sport reported back in May that the Blues had agreed to sign the former Brighton full back from their sister club Strasbourg – a 13th deal between the two BlueCo clubs.Barco, who had been playing as a midfielder in Ligue 1, had earned a call-up to Argentina’s World Cup squad off the back of his performances last season.The 22-year-old had limited involvement for Argentina on their path to the World Cup final, featuring for just 19 minutes in a group stage match against Jordan.That still did not stop Barco making an impact on the pitch, with the Argentina hitting the headlines when he clashed with Jude Bellingham after England’s semi-final defeat at the World Cup.Barco infuriated the Three Lions after he sprinted across the pitch when Enzo Fernandez equalised late on in the clash.He ran right in front of several England players and appeared to taunt them, before John Stones reacted by giving him a shove. Barco later also came onto the pitch in the aftermath of Lautaro Martinez’s winning goal.There were also reports that the new Chelsea star had been winding up the England bench for the entirety of the 90 minutes. In response to his antics, Bellingham gave the 22-year-old a slap on the back of the head after the full-time whistle as Argentina’s players celebrated, causing a scuffle on the pitch.The reception Barco receives from English crowds this season will be interesting, while Chelsea fans will be hoping he can make an impact on the field of play.  Chelsea confirmed the signing of World Cup villain Valentin Barco on a seven-year deal Barco’s provocative celebrations irked England’s Jude Bellingham after their semi-final clash Bellingham slapped Barco on the back of the head following his overzealous celebrations Johan Manzambi’I am very, very happy and I am excited to play with this club,’ Manzambi said after sealing his move from Freiburg to Aston Villa.’It’s a very big club in England, and they’re playing in the Champions League. I’ve already played against Aston Villa, and for me, it was the perfect plan.’I hope I can play the same as in the World Cup and with Freiburg.’I’m sure that with the team, the coach and the staff that I can do the same.’Manzambi opted for the move to Villa Park over Newcastle, despite the Magpies having a £49million bid accepted and had verbal agreement on terms with the 20-year-old.The Swiss international had been one of the breakout stars of the World Cup, having initially begun the tournament as an impact substitute before forcing his way into a starting role.Manzambi scored three goals and provided two assists until his tournament was cruelly ended by a knee injury.While Manzambi played higher up the pitch for Switzerland, Aston Villa highlighted how he operated in a more deep-lying role for Freiburg. The midfielder had impressed Aston Villa during their preparations for the Europa League Final, even though Freiburg were beaten 3-0 by Unai Emery’s side in May.Manzambi will be a central player in Aston Villa’s revamped team this summer, with Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans having left the club and Amadou Onana out for a prolonged period with a knee injury.  Johan Manzambi began the World Cup on the bench before becoming a breakout star The Swiss midfielder, who snubbed Newcastle, will be a key part of Aston Villa’s new look midfieldTim PayneLike Vozinha, Payne was catapulted to fame at the World Cup where the New Zealander became a viral sensation.Argentine content creator called Valen Scarsini, known as ‘El Scarso’, set out to find a player at the 48-team tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada who was unheralded and unknown for most fans. He then wanted to see just how far his mission to make the player famous could go. Payne ended up being his pick because the Wellington Phoenix centre-back only had 5,000 followers on Instagram. Scarsini’s bizarre campaign led to Payne’s follower count exploding, with the 32-year-old now boasting over 5.6million followers.The interest of a South American audience to Payne and New Zealand’s World Cup campaign carried on, with the defender landing himself a transfer as a result.Club Olimpia, Paraguay’s biggest club, signed Payne ahead of the All Whites’ first match of the tournament, reportedly paying £430,000 to Wellington Phoenix for his signature.’Club Olimpia is one of the biggest clubs in South America, with an incredible history, passionate supporters and ambitions that match its stature, and I am looking forward to rising to that challenge,’ Payne said when confirming his move.’For our family, this is something really special. My son, growing up speaking Spanish like his mum did, immersing ourselves in her culture and her family’s world is what makes this so much more than just a football move.’Payne had also made the point of thanking Scarsini and his followers for their role in his life-changing move.Payne made his debut for Olimpia on Sunday and marked it with a goal, curling a superb effort into the top corner from the edge of the box.  New Zealand’s Tim Payne became a viral sensation after an Argentina influencer encouraged fans to follow him on Instagram, taking his followers from 5,000 to over 5.4million  Payne secured a move to Paraguyan side Olimpia after his profile was raised and marked his debut for the club with a superb goal on SundayLucas HerringtonHerrington saw his World Cup end in heartbreaking fashion after sending a penalty over the crossbar in Australia’s shootout defeat by Egypt in the last-32.The 18-year-old was quickly offered support by Sweden great Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who praised his courage in stepping up to take the penalty at such a young age.’Penalty is like lottery. You score, you become a hero, you don’t score, sadly you become zero,’ Ibrahimovic said.’I just want to reach out to Herrington. You’re 18 years old, you’re young, this is just the beginning of your career.’You stepping up there, you showed a lot of courage, not everybody will do that. My friend, you’re the best. Don’t listen to the rest. Listen, Herrington, if you want to reach out, I’m here.’Exactly one month on and Herrington is closing in on a move from Colorado Rapids to the Premier League, with the teenager set to become the most expensive Australian player in history at around £17million. Lucas Herrington suffered heartbreak after missing his penalty in Australia’s shootout loss to Egypt The teenage Australian defender is now expected to complete a move to Hull CityHerrington, who earned praise for his composed performances at the World Cup, is expected to seal a move to newly promoted Hull City, with their owner Acun Ilicali confirming their interest to the BBC on Saturday.Asked if Herrington was someone Hull were looking at, Ilicali said: ‘Yes.’He’s (got) very big potential. Very young boy. I think (a) future star. We are very close, very close.’Asked when he thought a decision might be made on Herrington, Ilicali said: ‘One week.’