Club World Cup Breakout Stars: Real Madrid’s Surprise, Latest Premier League Gem | OneFootball

International tournaments almost always provide platforms upon which lesser known stars establish themselves as household names, and the Club World Cup has been no different.

Whether it be emerging youngsters or seasoned professionals just waiting for the right moment, the Club World Cup has produced a handful of players who may look back on this competition as the launching pad for the next stages of their careers.

Here are five breakout stars from the 2025 Club World Cup.

Gonzalo García

A stunning showing from García. / IMAGO/Sportimage

There is simply nowhere else to begin. The 2025 Club World Cup will be remembered as the tournament of Gonzalo García.

When Kylian Mbappé was struck down by illness at the start of the tournament, Real Madrid fans were fearing the worst. Endrick, the usual backup, was also injured, and the transfer speculation surrounding Rodrygo meant he was always unlikely to start as a central striker. New manager Xabi Alonso was faced with the daunting prospect of needing to rely on a Castilla forward on the global stage.

García had made a handful of senior appearances before this summer but has firmly seized the opportunity available to him. Comparisons to club icon Raúl followed a group stage in which he either scored or assisted in all three games, with that ruthless streak in front of goal also extending into the knockout stages.

Just weeks after fans were scared to put their faith in him, García is being lined up for a role in Alonso’s senior squad next season in the face of rumors of expensive transfer interest. He has changed his life in just one month.

Richard Ríos

Ríos is often linked with a move to Europe. / IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Global fans were all prepared to tune in to watch Palmeiras because of teenage phenom Estêvão ahead of his move to Chelsea. The young winger impressed, but it was bruising midfielder Richard Ríos who left the strongest impression.

At 25 years old, Ríos is hardly an unknown commodity among South American fans, having also caught the eye at Copa América 2024 with Colombia, but his sensational showings in midfield this summer have introduced him to a European audience which has started dreaming of seeing him perform on a weekly basis.

Ríos is the definition of a box-to-box midfielder, capable of tearing it up in attack—he managed two assists across the last 16 and quarterfinals—and disrupting things at the back. His eight interceptions was tied for second in the tournament at the time of Palmeiras’ elimination, and he led the competition in successful ground duels with 30.

He only signed a new contract last year, but it feels like the perfect time for Ríos’s all-round skillset to lead him to Europe.

Nelson Deossa

Deossa produced one of the performances of the tournament. / IMAGO/Sportimage

Like Ríos, Monterrey’s Nelson Deossa is another all-action midfielder who has seized his chance to make an impression this summer—even beyond his absolute rocket of a goal in the group stage against Urawa Red Diamonds.

Deossa, 25, caught the eye against Urawa, Inter and River Plate in the groups, but it was his utterly sensational performance in the last-16 defeat to Borussia Dortmund which really cemented his place as a breakout star.

Intelligence was a big part of Deossa’s game this summer, picking his moment to launch into a tackle just as efficiently as knowing when to turn and run with the ball at his feet. The Colombian runs with pace and close control and looks just as happy doing the ugly side of things as well.

It’s a style of play which you can’t help but feel would thrive in Europe, where suitors are already thought to be lining up for his signature.

Igor Jesus

Igor Jesus has already joined Nottingham Forest. / IMAGO/Sportimage

Igor Jesus had been speculatively linked with a handful of Premier League sides for a number of transfer windows before Nottingham Forest took the plunge with a £10 million ($13.6 million) move in June.

That bit of business already looks like a masterstroke from Forest, who watched Jesus net twice in four games for Botafogo, including the winner against Paris Saint-Germain in the group stage. The man known as Little Frog—a nickname given thanks to his disproportionally large head as a child—stole the show with several stunning showings as a target man, blending physicality with intricate movement in the box to weave his way through on goal. A Dragon Ball Z celebration was never far behind.

His comparatively small frame is deceptive. Jesus loves going toe-to-toe with physical defenders and is a threat in the air, but he is far more than simply a hulking attacker. The 24-year-old knows how to read the game and use his body to exploit space, whether that be turning defenders or playing in teammates ahead of him.

Jesus comes across as a more mobile Chris Wood which, considering the latter just scored 20 league goals as he approaches his 34th birthday, should be enough to put the Premier League on alert.

Jhon Arias

Fluminense’s Jhon Arias arrived at the Club World Cup semifinals with a tournament-high 17 chances created. Having taken on Dortmund, Inter and Al Hilal up to that point, it is simply impossible to ignore the 27-year-old.

Arias’s breakout year came back in 2023, starting Fluminense’s Copa Libertadores triumph, but he has continued to hone his craft as a late bloomer. The 27-year-old is hardly an elite athlete and does not always stand out in casual viewing, such is the cerebral manner of his approach to games.

He knows how to find space, blessed with phenomenal composure to bide his time, bat off defenders and play the best pass. Arias’s performances have earned him the nickname of Colombian Pelé which, while obviously tongue-in-cheek, highlights just how much of an impact he has made in South America.

With his 28th birthday coming up in September, it is hard to see too many elite clubs chasing Arias’s signature, but those same teams will likely look foolish if a smaller side decides they are not scared of his age.