Stock Up, Stock Down for Stars at the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup provided the perfect opportunity for players to make an impact in front of a gigantic audience.
Stars were born, others faded, and Spain finished on top of a tournament that was packed with memorable moments.
Whose stock went up? Whose went down? Let's take a look.
Stock Up: Jude Bellingham, England
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How much would a midfielder like Jude Bellingham cost right now? £180 million? £200 million? If Elliot Anderson is worth £116M and Morgan Rogers is worth £117M, it's scary to think how much the best England midfielder of a generation would set you back in 2026.
Bellingham put on the standout performance of the Three Lions' run to third place, breaking an English record by scoring seven goals in the tournament. That's more than Harry Kane, whose form dipped as he grew tired in the latter stages.
Jude's ability to stand up and be counted now makes him England's most indispensable player.
His lack of fear feeds into everything he does, from blitzing through the French team, to being the man to stand up to Valentin Barco's antics after Argentina won the semi. Bellingham is the real deal and the most likely player to lead the nation to the promised land.
Stock Down: Yan Diomande, Côte d'Ivoire
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It didn't quite happen for Yan Diomande at the World Cup. The youngster played with relative freedom, but was unable to impact matches too much, grabbing himself just one assist in four matches.
Positively, it didn't look like he was overruled by the hype. Diomande's links to Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool had more eyes on him than most. His lack of output didn't seem the result of that - he was still trying to get on the ball and confident enough to try and make things happen. That's a good sign.
Although supporters of his potential next clubs may have cooled on the excitement, the RB Leipzig winger is likely to still have his pick when the summer transfer window properly kicks into gear.
Stock Up: Johan Manzambi, Switzerland
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Switzerland's Johan Manzambi almost had the exact opposite World Cup to Diomande.
They both entered after excellent seasons in Germany, but few people were talking about the 20-year-old who wasn't even a starter for his nation's first two matches.
He looked bright in a 25-minute appearance against Qatar, and then produced two goals in 19 minutes to help take down Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-1. It was time to take notice.
Manzambi then went on to score and assist in the 2-1 victory over Canada, before assisting in the 2-0 win over Algeria. His tournament was cruelly cut short by injury from that point. Switzerland never looked the same again.
Aston Villa had seen enough, though, and moved quickly to beat Newcastle United to the signing of the exciting prospect.
Stock Down: Enzo Fernández, Argentina
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At what point is Enzo Fernandez more trouble than he's worth?
He was dropped for two games after indicating he wants to leave Chelsea at the back end of last season, with his agent later confirming he's exploring moves away from Stamford Bridge.
New manager Xabi Alonso has made it clear he wants the midfielder to stay, but after his World Cup antics, how many of the supporters will follow that line of thinking?
Enzo is now a villain in English football, and not because he scored the equaliser that contributed to England's elimination. His cocky celebration came back to haunt him in the final when he was sent off, but the enduring image of Fernandez with his ears cupped and lips pursed is not going to make him welcome back in London.
That's without considering his provocative comment about English cleaners, and Argentina's Falklands banner after the match.
Argentina's play in the latter stages of the World Cup was borderline farcical. Enzo was one of the worst perpetrators, who thought he'd try to intimidate, but actually looked pathetic in defeat.
Stock Up: Ismael Saibari, Morocco
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The World Cup started on June 11. Bayern signed Ismael Saibari from PSV Eindhoven on July 1. Vincent Kompany was not messing around.
Saibari was Morocco's best player at the tournament. He thrived in a striker role, producing three goals in five games before succumbing to injury. Much like Manzambi, once he was out of the team, his country couldn't quite find the formula to replace his quality.
At 25 years old Saibari is a smart signing for Bayern. It'll be interesting to see how Kompany integrates him with Harry Kane, who he may play just behind. The prospect of Michael Olise sending in crosses to the pair should have supporters very excited.
Stock Down: Christian Pulisic, USA
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In an alternate reality, USMNT posterboy Christian Pulisic would have put together a terrific World Cup, leading his country deep into the knockouts, scoring goals, and inspiring children all over the nation to start kicking a ball.
In reality, Pulisic played just 225 minutes, didn't score, and only managed one assist en route to fracturing his leg in the round of 16 defeat to Belgium.
Aside from a quick burst against Paraguay in USA's opening match, Pulisic played like the guy who has never lived up to expectation. The one that has shown itself throughout most of his post-Borussia Dortmund career.
This was meant to be the culmination of everything he could achieve. Instead it left American fans disappointed at what could have been, especially as he skipped last year's Gold Cup to be fighting fit for the tournament.
Stock Up: Djed Spence, England
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As we say in England, 'fair play' to Djed Spence.
His place in the England squad looked a dodgy inclusion, but he was Thomas Tuchel's best piece of thinking in a team that placed real responsibility on the Tottenham full-back.
Spence started four matches and came off the bench four times on the Three Lions' run to third. His pace neutralised the threat of Argentina's full-backs until Tuchel lost the plot with his subs, and he was excellent in the 6-4 win over France, in which he won the penalty for Bukayo Saka's hat-trick.
He also played a key role in the classic win over Mexico, coming off the bench to put his body on the line with some incredible defending at the Azteca.
Considering Spence has failed to hold down a regular starting spot at Spurs, there should be a lot of clubs thinking about snapping him up this summer.
Stock Down: Rayan Cherki, France
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Rayan Cherki barely registered as someone who was at the World Cup.
He was hooked at halftime in his only start, the bronze medal match against England, with France 4-0 down and embarrassed. Other than that, his longest time on the pitch in a single game came to 25 minutes. That's bitterly disappointing for a 22-year-old who contributed four goals and 16 assists in his debut Premier League season with Manchester City.
Maybe he was a victim of Didier Deschamps' attacking options being insanely stacked. But reports have begun to surface that his attitude was off, and French supporters picked up on his overly nonchalant mannerisms after being subbed against England.
That's not a good look for a player who has the talent to light up any match, and could have been at the heart of a French team that sometimes needed his talent to unlock stubborn defences.
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