Manzambi is already in the discussion with fellow nominees Lamine Yamal of Barcelona, Real Madrid’s Yan Diomande and new Manchester City midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi for the best young player in the world award.
He scored three goals in four games for Switzerland at the World Cup before a knee injury ended his tournament, only a year after making his full international debut.
It is a rapid rise for a player who used to return to Freiburg’s academy to do his washing.
Bernhard Weis, who gave Manzambi his debut for Freiburg Under-19s, told BBC Sport: “He is playing for the professionals and he comes to us at the academy and brings some dirty clothes.
“He didn’t have a washing machine so he comes here and washes some clothes.
“I would speak with him and then he would pick up some young guys from the under-13s, under-14s and take them to the train station.
“He would see the guys and say, ‘come with me, I’ll take you to the station’, so they could get home. That’s Johan Manzambi.”
As for his profile, though, Weis did not expect a Ballon d’Or nomination coming so quickly.
He added: “I didn’t see that. I saw something for the first team, for us, but this way, no chance.
“The first half year at Freiburg it was not so easy for him, he’s not so strong and he’s not so stable. He put on five kilos and then he thought, ‘now I go, it’s the right moment, I will be faster and stronger’.
Massimo Lombardo, Servette’s academy director agreed. He first worked with Manzambi when he was 15 and oversaw his early development before he moved to Freiburg as a 17-year-old in 2023.
“It is a real surprise for many people, that he can do something special so quickly,” he told BBC Sport.
“For me, the difference he can make is because of his mentality, personality, enthusiasm and courage. He has the technical skills and tactical skills and the physical possibility now to perform in England.