Aston Villa land new Swiss sensation of African descent

"What's in your head?" sang The Cranberries in their legendary hit Zombie.

What will soon be in the heads of Aston Villa supporters? One name.

Manzambi. Manzambi. Manzambi...

The chant is already waiting to be born, as the young midfielder of African origins (his parents are from Angola and DR Congo) became one of the biggest revelations of the FIFA World Cup, exploding onto the international stage with Switzerland by scoring three goals and providing two assists in his first four appearances.

An injury prevented him from helping his country during the dramatic penalty shootout defeat to Colombia in the round of 16, and the 3-1 quarter-final loss to eventual finalists Argentina, but by then the damage had already been done.

The Birmingham club have secured one of the most exciting talents in European football for a reported €60 million, making the 20-year-old Manzambi the most expensive Swiss player in history. He surpasses Granit Xhaka's previous record, set when the midfielder joined Arsenal from Borussia Monchengladbach for €45 million in 2016.

Manzambi began his professional journey in the youth system of Swiss club Servette before moving to Freiburg in 2024. He made his senior debut for the German side in September of the same year and needed almost no time to establish himself. In just over a season, he collected 58 appearances, contributing nine goals and 11 assists - numbers that convinced Aston Villa they were looking at a future star.

Now comes the biggest challenge of his career. The weight of a €60 million transfer fee, the expectations of becoming a record signing and the demands of Premier League football will all follow him to Birmingham.