Liverpool are said to be leading the race to sign one of the World Cup hotshots ahead of a Premier League rival. The Reds are hoping to spend significant money again this summer after committing huge funds to strengthen Arne Slot’s group last summer,

That spending likely ended up playing a role in Slot’s sacking, and now it is Andoni Iraola’s time to get money to put his squad together. That process has already begun, with Victor Munoz signing from Osasuna, and there are more signings expected. The Reds want a dominant new midfielder and a winger to replace Mo Salah.

As far as the midfield signing goes, the Reds could snap up a World Cup standout, according to the latest reports.

Liverpool leading race to sign Japan midfielder

Annegret Hilse via Action Images via Reuters

Liverpool are said to be leading the race to sign Mainz and Japan midfielder Kaishu Sano, who impressed for his nation during the World Cup. Japan were one of the more impressive sides until they were knocked out by Brazil in the Round of 32, and Sano was key to their success.

FussballDaten say Premier League clubs are pushing hard to land Sano, and Liverpool are said to be in pole position. It’s claimed they have the ‘most concrete’ and ‘serious’ offer at this stage. Mainz are asking for at least £42.7million, and the price could rise to around £51.2million.

It’s claimed Liverpool have already explored a move with Sano’s representatives, and they are willing to continue their follow up their interest with Mainz. Manchester United have also been linked, but it is Liverpool who lead the race.

Sano the ‘incredibly fast’ holding midfielder

Speaking back at the end of 2024, then Mainz boss Bo Henriksen issued a glowing verdict of Sano and his potential. He said: “He’s been getting better and better in attack in the last few matches. He’s started passing the ball forward. If you look at his stats from five matches ago, he wasn’t passing the ball forward at all. He was always passing it backward. In the last match against Hoffenheim, he even had a header and recorded xG (expected goals).

“Everyone on the team says he’s the player they least want to face in training. That’s because he’s incredibly fast, and on top of that, he’s a great footballer, has good technique, and can head the ball. He has all the abilities to become not just a good Bundesliga player, but a truly excellent international-level player.

“He has great potential. I think Jonny (Jonathan Burkhardt) said that he’s one of the players with the most potential on the team, and that’s absolutely true. He’s just getting better and better. Having players like him here and guiding them to the next step is the most important thing. The same goes for Paul (Nebel). I know Nadiem, Philip (Mwene), and Jonny are all excellent players. But developing players like them and guiding them to the next step is the most important thing in football.

“I feel that especially when I see a guy like Sano. He’s not taking baby steps now, he’s taking giant steps. We’ve actually taken such big steps that we think he could become one of the best players in his position.”

Liverpool are still said to be considering strengthening one side of their back line, and there is an obvious option staring them in the face. The Reds got up and running early in the summer, as far as their recruitment goes, snapping up Victor Munoz from Osasuna, but there is much more to come. Andoni Iraola is expected to be backed significantly to allow the Spaniard to put his own stamp on his new squad.

A winger is the clear priority, with Liverpool having lost Mo Salah this summer, while centre-back Ibrahima Konate has also left. A midfielder is also a priority, with most feeling the Reds need something different in the middle, and perhaps a more commanding presence.

Liverpool could also do with a right-back

Liverpool could do with more depth on the right hand side of the defence, with Conor Bradley likely to be out until some time in the early winter following his big knee injury back in January. The Reds also have Jeremie Frimpong on the right, but he has had injury issues of his own, and the only other right-back, Calvin Ramsay, is likely to be moved on in one form or another.

Three right-backs could make for a crowded room, but Iraola can’t afford to be short of options on one side of the defence next season, and there isn’t much depth on the left side, either.

Liverpool could do with a player who can play on both sides if needed, and West Ham star Aaron Wan-Bissaka is one of those players.

Wan-Bissaka is a solid option for Liverpool

West Ham star Aaron Wan-Bissaka is effectively for sale this summer as the full-back looks to stay in the Premier League following the Hammers’ relegation to the second tier. According to The Athletic, West Ham are willing to sell for £25million this summer, set to make a £10million profit having signed the full-back for £15million from Manchester United.

Wan-Bissaka has been ultra consistent for West Ham, and he also impressed for DR Congo at the World Cup this summer.

The Wan-Bissaka fanfair is nothing new, with Martin Keown having said in 2020: “He’s a magnificent defender, simply the best one-against-one defender in the Premier League. He’s patient, look how close he gets to his opponent. Sterling has got electric pace but it doesn’t matter because he goes in. He takes charge of things.

“People thought I was good and I think this guy is ahead of me. He has got that arrogance and great pace. He picks his moment, it’s brilliant defending. His teammates know he is their best defender.”

Wan-Bissaka may not displace Frimpong or Bradley, but he can undoubtedly compete with them, while also providing cover on the other side. Still only 28 years of age, he is a bargain at £25million, given his experience both in the Premier League and Europe, given he starred for Manchester United for years.

Liverpool are going to have to spend huge money to land a top winger and midfielder this summer, so a smart deal like this one would tick a box without taking away from the budget significantly. It is a wise deal all-round, and it’s one Iraola and the Reds should be seriously considering.

The World Cup elicits greater emotions than any other football competition, and that has resulted in some of the most expressive outbursts of joy the sport has ever seen.

Scoring for your country is special enough, but to do so on the grandest stage of them all is a feeling that only a small percentage of players in history have been lucky enough to experience.

With the 2026 tournament in full flow, GiveMeSport has decided to highlight the best of the best, as we identify the 14 greatest World Cup celebrations of all time.

14

Fabio Grosso — vs Germany, 2006

The Italian defender scored the winner in the penalty shootout in the final against France, but it is his semi-final strike against Germany that earns him a place on this exclusive list. With the game heading deep into added time and penalties looming, Grosso caressed a beautiful left-footed effort into the corner to all but send Italy to the final — and his celebration matched the quality of the goal.

In what can only be described as an emotional explosion of joy, he ran and ran, arms flailing, screaming into the Dortmund night, as a man who knew at that moment he had cemented his own legacy forever.

13

Brian Laudrup — Denmark, 1998

File this celebration under comical and unforgettable. Denmark faced Nigeria in the last 16 of France 98 and Brian Laudrup, one of the most elegant players of his generation, scored the third goal in a 4–1 win. He then peels away toward the corner flag, and produces a celebration that was purely unexpected.

With his arms spread wide, Laudrup elegantly glided and slid across the pitch, finishing in a lying down position. It perfectly captured everything about the man: technically brilliant, understated, almost serene. Denmark would be knocked out by Brazil in the quarter-finals, and Laudrup never played another World Cup game after that. However, in that single, graceful moment against Nigeria, he created a footballing memory that will never die.

12

Miroslav Klose — 2002-2014

REUTERS

The German frontman enjoyed a stunning career at international level due to his World Cup efforts. Beginning at the 2002 edition, he went onto net 16 goals across four tournaments as he celebrated in acrobatic fashion. Despite being a no-nonsense poacher with no flashy skills or controversial outbursts, his celebration was the opposite of his whole identity.

He would complete an almost nonchalant front-flip to celebrate. In fact, it led to him earning the nickname “Salto-Klose” (Salto means somersault in German) and the striker will forever be held in the highest regard when it comes to the global competition, even if Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have since eclipsed his achievement.

11

Romelu Lukaku – vs USA, 2026

Controversy surrounded the United States vs Belgium in their Round of 16 clash, and Romelu Lukaku didn’t pass up the opportunity to shine a light on it. USA striker Florian Balogun had seen red in their previous clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina and was due to miss this tie. However, intervention by the US president Donald Trump saw FIFA suspend the decision, allowing the striker to play.

Such a decision led to a universal outcry and condemnation of FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino. Regardless, the match went ahead and, in what now looks like cosmic justice, Balogun flopped and Belgium triumphed 4-1. Lukaku netted the fourth and the whole Belgium team enjoyed a moment of mockery for Trump, doing his infamous dance to poke fun at a country that enjoyed an unfair advantage.

10

Papa Boupa Diop — vs France, 2002

Nobody gave Senegal a chance against the defending world champions France but Papa Boupa Diop produced a stunning moment for his country. Facing off against a squad built around Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit, Senegal were making their World Cup debut. Diop — a midfielder from Lens at the time — collected the ball in the second half and prodded it past Fabien Barthez. What happened next was a moment of pure, joyful theater.

Diop sprinted to the corner flag, removed his shirt, laid it flat on the grass like a picnic blanket, and danced around it in a gleeful circle with his teammates joining in one by one. There was no choreography, no plan — just spontaneous euphoria doing what it does. In a crazy turn of events, France went home without scoring a single goal, whilst Senegal went on to reach the quarter-finals. Diop’s impromptu shirt dance remains one of the most joyful, inventive, and genuinely funny celebrations the World Cup has ever produced, and he sits among his country’s best-ever players.

9

Alex Morgan — vs England, Women’s 2019

A cultural moment in itself, women’s football hit new heights globally off the back of Alex Morgan‘s celebration at the 2019 Women’s World Cup. As the USA faced off against a strong England side in a tense and back-and-forth semi-final, Morgan delivered the decisive blow — netting the winner before turning to the crowd and mimicking the sipping of a cup of tea in a perfectly timed jab at British culture.

The internet lost its mind, as that would be the moment that supercharged her to fame, England were furious, and it quickly became one of the most talked-about celebrations in the history of women’s football. Composed, cheeky, and executed with a smile, it was the celebration of someone who knew exactly what she was doing — and did it anyway.

8

Diego Maradona — vs Greece, 1994

Some eight years on from the greatest moment of his career, 1994 was a very different competition for Diego Maradona. Here he stood, older and evidently heavier, but still a global icon and a must-see attraction. Coming off the back of a drug ban in 1991, this was his redemption moment, and he earned a memorable moment against Greece in the group stages. In typical Diego fashion, he collected the ball 25 yards out, drove forward, and unleashed a ferocious right-foot strike into the top corner.

In what was clear adulation, he ran to the camera which captured the Argentinian legend with his eyes completely wild, pupils dilated, veins straining in his neck, mouth open in a primal roar, as he screamed with everything he had. However, days later, it was revealed he failed a drug test for ephedrine and was expelled from the tournament. An icon never featured again, and the last image anyone had was of the explosion of emotion he displayed against Greece.

7

Bebeto — vs The Netherlands, 1994

It doesn’t get much better than Brazil versus the Netherlands in the quarter-finals in Dallas at the 1994 tournament, but it was Bebeto who is remembered the most from that day. Having scored to make it 2–0, he wheeled away toward the corner as he cradled his arms in front of him and rocked them gently, mimicking a father with a newborn. Teammates Romário and Mazinho see it immediately and fall in alongside him, the three of them swaying in unison in front of a packed stadium. This was a message; Bebeto’s wife was at home in Brazil, heavily pregnant, due at any moment.

He had been carrying that joy through the entire tournament. A few days later, his son Mattheus was born, and the image was synonymous with the eventual Brazil victory, as many remember the genuine human warmth as one of the most beautiful moments the game has ever given us.

6

Norway Viking Row – 2026 World Cup

The addition of Norway to the 2026 tournament was brilliant; the Landslaget are backed by a passionate and strong fan presence. With Erling Haaland‘s goals fueling their support in North America, the Red Army also brought a brilliant crowd celebration to the party.

Enter “The Viking Row“. Similar to what the Icelandic team brought to Euro 2016, the Norwegians captured everyone’s imagination, as during games we saw fans perform the ‘row’ whilst their post-match celebrations with the whole team and a drum, expertly performed by Haaland or Martin Odegaard, paints the image of a country and team that are inherently linked – and isn’t that what the World Cup is all about?

5

Marco Tardelli — vs West Germany, 1982

Italian passion for football is almost unmatched and Marco Tardelli is perhaps the best example of that in World Cup history. Seen as one of the single greatest celebrations in the history of the men’s World Cup, his goal against West Germany in the final at the Bernabéu was a stage as grand as any — and his outburst was both powerful and striking. Tardelli had his arms pumping, head shaking, mouth wide open, as he screamed into the Madrid sky.

His face was a portrait of absolute release, joy, disbelief, pride, relief — all colliding at once. Commentators around the world lost their composure as Italy won 3–1 and lifted the trophy. It remains the definitive answer to the question: what does it feel like to score in a World Cup final.