🤩 Spam nod & 30m followers: the World Cup's big stories

🤩 Spam nod & 30m followers: the World Cup's big stories It was and of course still is a World Cup of dazzling superheroes who drew a huge share of the attention from the entire football world. But not only them. In recent weeks, we’ve witnessed some remarkable stories that put players in the spotlight who we maybe hadn’t even had on our radar before - and for some, they were surely even better stories than all the records and goals from the absolute elite.  We picked out ten players who turned into absolute cult figures during the tournament - and whom we hope to keep hearing plenty about here and there even after the final.  10. He thought the call-up was spam Simply an incredible story. Pico Lopes was born in Dublin, has played for Shamrock Rovers since 2017, and then suddenly shows up with Cape Verde at the World Cup. Lopes is eligible through his father and has played for Cape Verde since 2019 – after initially ignoring the federation’s first messages because he thought they were spam. He’ll be glad he realized it wasn’t fake. The center-back played every single minute of Cape Verde’s sensational run to the round of 32.  9. More World Cup goals than an entire country With three goals, Elijah Just scored more for New Zealand at the 2026 World Cup than his entire home country had managed across all previous World Cups combined. 8. Save record after a thrashing Goalkeepers make excellent cult heroes. Elyo Room is no exception. That probably wasn’t something many would have predicted when he conceded seven goals in Curaçao’s opening match against Germany. But in the next game against Ecuador, he made 15 saves - the most ever recorded in 90 minutes of a World Cup match. 7. Dribbled his way into the spotlight Haissem Hassan spent the entire group stage on the bench for Egypt, but then really burst into life in the knockout rounds. After making his debut in the round of 32 against Australia, he truly made a name for himself in the round of 16 against Argentina. Hassan’s mesmerizing solo run in the build-up to what seemed to be Egypt’s second goal - which was then disallowed - showed off his brilliant ability. Later, the winger did manage to set up a legitimate goal for Mostafa Ziko before Egypt fell victim to Argentina’s comeback. 6. Germany’s penalty nightmare Orlando Gill only made his debut for Paraguay in September, but fast-forward to the World Cup: by then, he had become impossible to leave out of the starting lineup. His two saved penalties in the shootout against Germany made him a hero.  5. Defensive rock as a super sub Sat on the bench in the group stage. Sat on the bench in the round of 32. Came on against Mexico and just headed everything away. Before the tournament, there was even debate over whether he should be taken along at all - he gave the answer against Mexico. When he was used as an emergency striker against Argentina in the semifinal, it unfortunately didn’t work out - that’s part of the truth too.  4. Cape Verde’s national hero Argentina barely knew what hit them: Cape Verde’s unlikely World Cup dream stayed alive thanks to Sidny Lopes Cabral’s dream goal in extra time of the round of 32, and for a moment it looked as if the mother of all upsets might happen. In the end, they fell just short, but Cabral’s goal ensured they went out with their heads held high. 3. Mexico striker better than Ronaldo It was a World Cup in which most of the big names delivered in front of goal. The scoring charts are led by players like Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, and Erling Haaland. So no big surprises there. But Julián Quiñones was one of the outsiders who forced his way into the scoring list. His four goals before Mexico’s elimination were, for example, one more than Cristiano Ronaldo managed. 2. Outstanding World Cup follows outstanding Bundesliga season The perfect example of a breakout player who will earn himself a big transfer through his World Cup performances. Johan Manzambi shone for Switzerland in the group stage with a brace against Bosnia and Herzegovina, then followed it up with a goal and an assist against Canada, and added another assist in the round of 32. Is it a coincidence that Switzerland ran out of steam once Manzambi was no longer available afterward? Maybe not. 1. Celebrated by the entire football world There could only be one man in first place, that much is obvious.  There are hardly any bigger surprise stars than Vozinha. The Cape Verde goalkeeper, who played in his first World Cup at the age of 40 - both for himself and for his country - became a fan favorite in no time. That he kept a clean sheet on his debut against Spain was monumental. As a sign of just how much he won over the global World Cup audience, his Instagram following has since grown from around 50,000 to almost 30 million. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.