Igor Jesus, Estevao Willian & the top 10 breakout stars of the Club World Cup so far

Described as the "Didier Drogba of modern times" by South American football expert Tim Vickery, Igor Jesus has enjoyed a meteoric rise since joining Botafogo from Shabab Al Ahli in July 2024. The physically imposing frontman, ironically nicknamed 'The Little Frog', helped Botafogo clinch a league and Copa Libertadores double last season while also breaking into the Brazil national team, which prompted Nottingham Forest to swoop for his services.

Forest reportedly agreed a £17 million ($23m) deal for Jesus the week before the Club World Cup kicked off, which looks like a snip based on how he has performed in Botafogo's group games. The 24-year-old scored the winner in the Brazilian club's opener against the Seattle Sounders, busting out a passionate 'Kamehameha' celebration inspired by the iconic anime show Dragon Ball Z, and then repeated the trick against Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain after nutmegging Willian Pacho.

But Jesus will bring so much more to Forest than just goals. Botafogo ceded almost 75 percent of the possession to PSG, but always posed a threat on the counter because of Jesus' superb hold-up play. He's a relentless ball winner with an incredible spring that more than makes up for his 5'10 stature, and his presence alone makes Botafogo dark horses for the Club World Cup crown.

Colombia international Jhon Arias has emerged as a surprise early contender for Player of the Tournament. The 27-year-old dazzled with his pace and trickery in Fluminense's 0-0 draw with Borussia Dortmund on matchday one, earning the Player of the Match award in the process, and was very unlucky not to get on the scoresheet after a fascinating battle with BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Arias did get his goal in Fluminense's subsequent 4-2 triumph against South Korean outfit Ulsan, though, and it was well worth the wait. He curled an unstoppable, 25-yard free-kick into the top right corner of the net to give his team the lead, which was the cherry on top of another MVP performance as he also assisted Juan Freitas' goal.

Crystal Palace were strongly linked with Arias in the winter transfer window, and they may well reignite their interest if he keeps delivering the goods for Fluminense. The former Santa Fe attacker has spent his entire career so far in Latin America, but is now showing that he deserves a chance to test himself in one of Europe's major leagues.

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Estevao Willian claimed back-to-back Player of the Match awards with Palmeiras at the Club World Cup, further whetting the appetite of Chelsea fans anticipating the 18-year-old's arrival at Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2025-26 season. Chelsea's £56m ($71m) investment in Estevao is already looking like a shrewd one, with the youngster having tormented the Porto backline in a 0-0 draw before also shining in Palmeiras' comfortable 2-0 win against Al Ahly.

There is still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to Estevao's end product, but his explosive, fearless style of play has been a joy to behold. The supremely gifted Brazil international, nicknamed 'Messinho', possesses the acceleration, footwork, and balance to dance around defenders with ease, while he has a penchant for identifying and exploiting space in the final third.

It also bodes well for Chelsea that Estevao is more than holding his own physically in the United States. The teenager could go straight into Enzo Maresca's line up based on his group-stage displays, and there is potential for him to form a fearsome partnership with the Blues' current leading man, Cole Palmer.

Juventus have had big hopes for Kenan Yildiz ever since beating Barcelona to the former Bayern Munich academy star's signature in 2022. His development has not always run smoothly, though, with consistency proving elusive after his breakthrough into the senior squad, and a reported clash with ex-Juve coach Thiago Motta only worsened matters.

But Yildiz is reminding the world of his unique talent at the Club World Cup. The 20-year-old was among the scorers in Juve's 5-0 demolition of Al Ain, finding the bottom corner from long range despite being surrounded by defenders, and he was simply sensational in their 4-1 win over Wydad Casablanca on matchday two.

Yildiz forced the own goal that broke the deadlock after just six minutes before scoring what may end up being the goal of the tournament. The Turkey international almost burst the net with a thunderous half-volley from the edge of the box that whistled past the Wydad 'keeper in the blink of an eye, and he doubled his account in the second half for good measure.

"Kenan has huge potential, but it's his mentality that will take him far," Juve boss Igor Tudor said after the game. It may also take the Bianconeri to their first Club World Cup crown.

The Seattle Sounders' Club World Cup journey was only brief, but the team can be proud of their efforts after being drawn in an extremely difficult group alongside PSG, Atletico Madrid and Botafogo. Indeed, the MLS side dominated large portions of their first game against Botafogo, and wouldn't have lost 2-1 had they been more clinical, while their build-up play was also impressive in the 3-1 defeat to Atletico.

That's mainly because of Obed Vargas: the 19-year-old playmaker who serves as the Sounders' orchestrator. He was especially impressive against Botafogo, busting through the lines at every opportunity while also nipping in to cut out several Botafogo attacks.

"I think his ceiling is European football, being one of the top guys in Europe," Sounders defender Cody Baker told MLSSoccer.com when asked to assess Vargas' potential before that contest. "He's a great player, one of the hardest workers I know, and one of the most competitive people I know."

Vargas, who became a full Mexico international last year, is already a complete midfielder with an incredible engine, and won't be short on European suitors after his all-action displays at the Club World Cup.

Claudio Echeverri agreed to join Manchester City on a four-year deal in January 2024, but didn't link up with the senior team until March of this year, having been loaned back to River Plate to continue his development. Pep Guardiola only used the Argentine - who has been dubbed 'the next Messi' - on two occasions before the end of the season, though, including in the final 14 minutes of City's FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace, which was an unnecessary gamble that didn't pay off.

The Club World Cup represented an opportunity for Echeverri to recover from that false start, and he's grabbed it with both hands. Deployed on the left wing, the 19-year-old finally made his full City debut on matchday two against Al Ain, and was the most lively player on the pitch in a first half dominated by the Premier League giants.

City went in at the break 3-0 up, and Echeverri got the second goal, whipping a beautiful free-kick in off the crossbar with the kind of execution that his compatriot Messi would have been proud of. The teenager did not return for the second half due to a knock, but Guardiola was full of admiration for his performance.

"Fantastic goal and incredible player," he said, while also revealing Echeverri has been staying late after training to practice free-kicks since his arrival at City. That's the kind of work ethic all the greats possess, and while it's too early to say if Echeverri can follow in Messi's footsteps, City now have a real wildcard who could give them an edge in the latter stages of the Club World Cup.

Real Madrid saw off stiff competition from PSG to sign Franco Masantuono for €40m ($45m/£34m) at the start of the month, and the 17-year-old is now taking his final bows with River Plate at the Club World Cup. It only took the attacking midfielder 12 minutes to make an impact in River's first game against Urawa Red Diamonds, as he manufactured a yard of space in the middle of the park before pinging a perfect ball out to the left flank for Marcos Acuna, who then delivered for Facundo Colidio to head home.

That innate ability to spot openings that others can't is one of the main reasons Madrid and PSG both wanted Masantuono so badly. The other is his versatility. The River talisman can play as a winger, a traditional No.10, or a deep-lying creator if required, and is already way ahead of schedule in his development from a technical standpoint.

Masantuono was the driving force behind River's 3-1 win against Urawa, completing 90 percent of his passes, and scooped the MVP prize in their second outing against Monterrey, which ended in a 0-0 draw. It's entirely possible that the Argentine could slot straight into Xabi Alonso's Madrid line up from the start of next season if Rodrygo departs, he's that good.

No one expected Red Bull Salzburg to pull up any trees at the Club World Cup given their dismal return of three points from eight matches in the 2024-25 Champions League league phase. Salzburg did finish their domestic season strongly, though, boosted greatly by the return to full fitness of Oscar Gloukh, who sat out most of April due to illness.

Gloukh registered 15 goal involvements in 25 Austrian Bundesliga appearances in total, and carried that form to the U.S. Salzburg beat Pachuca 2-1 in their group-stage opener, and Gloukh grabbed the all-important first goal just before the interval, placing a sublime shot into the far corner after leaving a defender for dead with a well-executed dummy.

It was a fine strike that capped a superb all-round display from the unpredictable 21-year-old forward, who was the deserved winner of the Player of the Match prize. Gloukh was less influential in Salzburg's cagey 0-0 draw with Al-Hilal, but there is no question the Israel international is now ready to step up to an elite club.

Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane and Dominik Szoboszlai all made their names at Salzburg before becoming superstars elsewhere, and there is no reason why Gloukh cannot follow in their footsteps.

South African Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns have defied all expectations at the new Club World Cup, kicking off with a 1-0 win over Ulsan before going toe-to-toe with Dortmund in the game of the tournament so far. The Sundowns went down 4-3 against BVB, but saw more of the ball and mustered 16 shots to their opponents' eight as the German giants breathed a major sigh of relief when the final whistle was blown.

Lucas Ribeiro was the man who set the tone for that thrilling showdown. The Brazilian forward, who played in the Europa League with Belgian club Charleroi in 2020-21, picked the ball up in the centre-circle before sprinting through the entire Dortmund defence with just three touches, and then had the composure to calmly slot past Kobel.

The crowd, and indeed the Dortmund bench, couldn't believe what it had just witnessed. Ribeiro continued to terrorise the BVB defence after that, completing 100 percent of his dribbles while also producing two key passes.

The 26-year-old posted similar statistics in the Ulsan game, which is a result of the Sundowns constantly looking to get him on the ball and make the most of his raw power and frightening speed. It may not be enough to lead them into the Club World Cup knockouts, but Ribeiro could be offered another crack in Europe once their tournament finishes.

Xabi Alonso gave Castilla starlet Gonzalo Garcia the chance to lead the line for Real Madrid after seeing Kylian Mbappe ruled out of the start of the Club World Cup with a fever. It was a bold call from the new manager, given Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, or Arda Guler could all have filled in as a makeshift No.9, but Gonzalo has not looked at all out of place in the Galactico-filled team.

He even scored the first goal of the Alonso era against Al-Hilal, as the 21-year-old dropped deep into his own half to start a counter-attack and then bust a gut to arrive in the box to get on the end of a Rodrygo pass, ultimately finding the net with a slightly fortunate double-touch finish, though he deserved his luck.

Madrid had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the end, but Gonzalo was a constant threat, both on the ground and in the air. That was also the case in Madrid's 3-1 win against Pachuca on Sunday, and though Gonzalo was not among the goals, he provided the assist for Guler to make it 2-0.

The Spaniard has staked a very strong claim to be Mbappe's back-up striker for the new season. Having initially joined Real's academy way back in 2014, Gonzalo's hard work is finally paying off, and his emergence relieves the pressure on Alonso to go looking for extra attacking reinforcements in the transfer market.