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Report nowNational team youngster Johan Manzambi impresses national team coach Murat Yakin as well as his team-mates and fans in Freiburg. Everyone agrees on what makes the 19-year-old so special: His carefree attitude.
At the start of the year, Johan Manzambi had just nine minutes of Bundesliga experience. But 2025 was the year of the big breakthrough for the versatile midfielder. The 19-year-old earned himself a regular place at SC Freiburg and was even called up by Murat Yakin for the senior national team in the summer.
The national team coach says of Manzambi: "He's extremely disciplined in both directions and has an unbelievable drive to score goals, which impresses me enormously about him. He really wanted to score against Kosovo, you could see that. He was literally looking for the ball. But that's okay, he should live out his recklessness. It's fun to watch him." Manzambi is a very modest guy, says Yakin: "Someone who works and is calm. But brings extreme qualities to the pitch."
Yakin remembers Manzambi's first national team training sessions in the summer: "He showed enormous attacking skills. You rarely see that in a player you hardly know beforehand. That's why I used him offensively on the wing. I'm surprised that he plays a bit more defensively at Freiburg."
However, SC Freiburg also appreciate the Swiss's qualities. SCF captain Christian Günter said: "His carefree attitude sets him apart, he has great potential with the ball and has also developed very well physically over the past year."
Günter reveals that he had already seen Manzambi's qualities before his breakthrough: "It's simply about adapting to professional football, the physicality of being somewhere near the limit week in, week out. He has worked very hard on himself and also brought a certain patience with him, which simply pays off." If he continues like this and keeps his feet on the ground, he could become a very good player, says Günter.
Christian Günter (with captain's armband) raves about national team youngster Johan Manzambi (left).
IMAGO/Sven Simon
Günter explains Manzambi's personality: "He's a boy with self-confidence. He didn't put up with anything from the start, not in any duel. He is self-confident and yet down-to-earth. I think these two components are very important for professional football. If he continues like this, he has a really good path ahead of him."
However, Günter can't resist making a comment towards his 19-year-old team-mate: "Sometimes he lies about refereeing decisions in training and then says he didn't have the ball, even though he did," says the captain with a laugh.
Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu is also well aware of Manzambi's qualities: "He has a good finish and his one-on-one is brutal. The boy has a lot of talent and can go a long way if he keeps a clear head. This carefree attitude, the fact that he doesn't think at all and just does his thing, that's what sets him apart."
Manzambi is also very respectful off the pitch and very mature for his age, according to Atubolu, who adds: "He sometimes says something in the dressing room, that's the most important thing. He has respect for older players, he also respects when someone says something to him and accepts it. That shows that he is capable of developing and can go a long way."
Manzambi has quickly become a fan favorite at Freiburg: "A young player with ambition, you can just see his carefree attitude. I like this power, and he's also very light on his feet. He has to take one step at a time, but if he can keep up the qualities and is hard-working, he can go a long way," says a fan who has his Manzambi jersey signed by the Swiss after Freiburg training.
The terms "ease" and "carefreeness" come up again and again, from the national team coach, fellow players and fans alike: "His ease is unbelievable. It all looks so easy, I think he'll be a really great player for us one day. He has played his way into our hearts, we just hope that he doesn't leave too quickly, but then there will also be a lot of money." Manzambi's style of movement is even a little reminiscent of a young Paul Pogba, says one of the fans, adding: "He's going to be a great footballer."
Manzambi will play his next match on Wednesday. FC Basel will be the guests at the Europa Park Stadium in Freiburg. It will be Manzambi's first match against a Swiss professional team.
