There is one club leaving a clear mark on the World Cup without playing in it. Sunderland.
The Black Cats have nine players away with their national teams, and the tournament is beginning to confirm just how far-sighted the work of the past year has been, and the sense that it is already visible. Noah Sadiki with DR Congo, Nilson Angulo for Ecuador, Wilson Isidor with Haiti, Chemsdine Talbi representing Morocco, Robin Roefs and Brian Brobbey with the Netherlands, Omar Alderete for Paraguay, Habib Diarra with Senegal and Granit Xhaka for Switzerland.
It is a presence that stretches across Africa, Europe and South America, reflecting the way Sunderland have assembled an international squad rich in talent and ready to compete at the highest level, even now.
Selection alone tells only part of the story. Four of those nine have already scored: Granit Xhaka for Switzerland, Wilson Isidor with Haiti, Brian Brobbey for the Netherlands and Nilson Angulo, whose winner against Germany carried Ecuador into the last 16, a goal that felt heavier than the match itself. It is more than a statistical footnote. These are players making the difference when the level rises.
The World Cup, in that sense, has become an extraordinary showcase for Sunderland. Every match offers further confirmation of the quality running through the squad and of the work done by the club, though nothing here feels particularly staged. Nine internationals are not assembled by chance, nor is it a coincidence that so many of them are leaving their mark on a tournament of this stature. Only PSG, with six different goalscorers, have produced more scorers than the Black Cats.
Sunderland’s rise can be traced back to the decisions made after promotion to the Premier League. Winning the Championship play-offs brought the club more than £120 million, money that could easily have been spent on established names or short-term solutions. Instead, Sunderland chose a different path, investing in talent, potential and development, and a certain kind of patience that is not always visible.
Not only did Sunderland secure a place in the Europa League on the final day of the season, an outcome few would have imagined for a newly promoted side, but that achievement no longer feels like an isolated success or the product of an exceptional campaign. The performances of their internationals suggest something more enduring. The quality of the squad is both real and deep, even if that phrase is difficult to measure.
Much of the credit belongs to sporting director Florent Ghisolfi. After an underwhelming spell at Roma, the Frenchman appears to have rediscovered the instinct that made him one of Europe’s most highly regarded recruiters during his time at Nice. His ability to identify emerging talent, move ahead of the competition and build a young squad already capable of competing at the highest level continues to find confirmation almost every week, sometimes in small ways.
The World Cup squads offer the clearest evidence. Players from different backgrounds, with different qualities and different paths behind them, have all found the right environment to develop at Sunderland. It is no coincidence that many of them are playing the best football of their careers since arriving in England, or maybe it is, depending on how you look at it.
The work done in the transfer market would have counted for little without the right guidance on the pitch. That is why Régis Le Bris deserves to stand alongside the architects of Sunderland’s rise. The French coach has given the team a clear identity, shaping a modern, aggressive side capable of bringing out individual qualities without sacrificing collective balance, although balance is never fully stable anyway.
Perhaps that is what stands out most when watching Sunderland. Individually, the players have developed both technically and tactically. Collectively, they seem to reach another level altogether. Almost every member of the squad looks improved compared to a year ago, yet none has lost the qualities that made them attractive in the first place, which is not always the case elsewhere.
The World Cup is simply bringing wider attention to something that had already become clear over the course of last season. Sunderland are no longer just an uplifting story or a newly promoted club exceeding expectations. They are an emerging force in European football, built on clear ideas, intelligent recruitment and long-term planning, and it does not look temporary.
The goals from Xhaka, Isidor, Brobbey and Angulo are only the most visible part of a project that continues to gather momentum. If Sunderland were looking for international recognition of their progress, the World Cup is providing it on the biggest stage of all, and probably in a way that cannot be ignored anymore.