Johan Manzambi
CDMCAMLW
Switzerland21 years
Showing2026/27 seasonAll official competitions
Preferred Positions
Last 24 months · all competitions
CDM
Defensive midfieldMain
2,999 min · 53 apps · 30 starts
CAM
Attacking midfield
1,282 min · 17 apps · 17 starts
LW
Left wing
660 min · 9 apps · 9 starts
Squad importance
Current squad importance over the club’s last 40 recorded competitive games in this spell, including previous seasons. Starts and minutes contribute 70%; performance contributes 30%. Absences reduce the score gradually, with less weight when a player is outside the matchday squad.Current role at Aston Villa · independent of the season filter
Important
Involvement63%
Performance55%
Through the match on 3 Nov 2026. Refreshed daily.
Profile
Career & playing style
Johan Manzambi's forward movement begins with how he receives the ball. Bundesliga analysis of his Freiburg season singled out his first touch and ability to keep possession under pressure. He can then carry through midfield, draw a challenge and continue into shooting areas.
His path to senior football began at Servette in Geneva. Freiburg brought him in during January 2023 and used him first with their under-19 and reserve sides. Promoted to the first-team squad for 2024/25, he made his Bundesliga debut as a substitute at Heidenheim in September 2024. His first league goal followed in April 2025, late in a win at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
By 2025/26, Manzambi was doing more than carrying the ball out of midfield. Freiburg's season review identified him among their leading makers of the pass before an assist and among the Bundesliga players most often fouled. Those measures suggest two linked habits: a pass that opens the next action, or carrying long enough to make an opponent intervene.
His European campaign supplied a sharper example. In May 2026, Manzambi cut in from the left and curled a shot into the far corner against Braga, putting Freiburg ahead in their Europa League semi-final tie. Freiburg reached their first European final but lost to Aston Villa. UEFA's technical observers named him the 2025/26 Europa League Revelation of the Season.
Manzambi made his senior Switzerland debut in June 2025. At the 2026 World Cup he came off the bench to score twice against Bosnia and Herzegovina, then started against Canada, scored again and helped create another goal. He also started the round-of-32 win over Algeria. Switzerland reached the quarter-finals; Manzambi did not play their last two matches. His three goals were the most scored by a Swiss player at that tournament.
In July 2026 he moved from Freiburg to Aston Villa, the side Freiburg had faced in the European final. His earlier roles show more than a fixed holding-midfield brief: Freiburg used his close control and runs toward goal as well as his central passing. After receiving, he can commit a defender, set up a teammate or shoot when space opens.
Latest stats & form
Johan Manzambi currently plays for Aston Villa as a midfielder. He has represented Switzerland internationally.