The confetti has only just been cleared from Spain’s trophy lift, and rumour has it that Chris Martin is still finding his way out of the bowels of MetLife Stadium — but less than five weeks after the World Cup finished, many of its stars are back in action.After La Liga resumed in Spain on August 15, Arsenal kicked off the Premier League season and their title defence with a 3-0 win against Coventry City on Friday night, which also saw the first match of 2026-27 in France’s Ligue 1. The Champions League draw is only days away — and fans don’t have long to wait for international football’s return, either, with a bumper break from September 21 to October 6.It has been a long summer for the World Cup’s stars, and it will be a long season. This is where you can keep up with them…RodriAfter captaining Spain to victory and being named player of the tournament, Rodri has departed Manchester City for a new challenge in his home country.With only one year remaining on his contract at the Etihad Stadium, the 30-year-old told reporters in March that he wished to return to La Liga, having departed Atletico Madrid for Manchester in 2019.Rodri lifts the World Cup trophy (David Ramos/Getty Images)It looked like he was going to Real Madrid, but on August 6, the news broke that Clasico rivals Barcelona were exploring a deal and Rodri’s preference was a move to them. The midfielder has completed his move, worth up to €76.5million (£65.5m; $89.4m), reuniting him with several national team-mates from the squad he led to glory in the United States. He was unveiled to fans at the Camp Nou before Barcelona’s friendly against Al Ahly on Wednesday.Lionel MessiOne of the greatest lessons from this summer’s tournament was that a 39-year-old Lionel Messi remains one of the most talented, compelling, devastating operators on a football pitch. But there might not be much longer to enjoy him.Messi was instrumental in Argentina’s route to the final, opening his World Cup with a hat-trick against Algeria and scoring in each of his team’s matches up to and including the round of 16. His eight goals put him second only to Kylian Mbappe on 10 (two of which came in France’s third-place play-off), alongside four assists.It was a masterful tournament performance, but it may well be his last at the World Cup.Following the death of his father Jorge this month, Lionel Messi voiced his “doubts” about whether he will “carry on doing it (playing football) for much longer”. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner extended his contract at Inter Miami last October, tying him to the Major League Soccer side through the 2028 season.Lionel Messi has been back in action with Inter Miami — but for how much longer? (Carly Mackler/Getty Images)Elliot AndersonAt this point in 2025, Anderson was on the cusp of his second season as a regular starter in the Premier League and was yet to make his senior England debut. He begins this campaign after an instrumental role in England’s best finish at a World Cup since 1966 and as Manchester City’s marquee summer signing. Anderson joined Nottingham Forest from boyhood club Newcastle United in 2024 and gained a reputation as one of the Premier League’s best central midfielders. The prospect of a move to a Champions League side this summer was little surprise — and Manchester City acted aggressively to secure his services, reaching an agreement for £116m at the start of the World Cup.Elliott Anderson helped England to their best World Cup finish since 1966 (Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)After firmly establishing himself as a key cog in midfield for England, Anderson will be tasked with the largest responsibility of his club career as the most expensive player in a new-look Manchester City team. His hefty price tag — a record for a British player at the time — reflects City’s faith that Anderson can help replace Rodri, for so long the cornerstone of Pep Guardiola’s team, and help them back to the summit of the Premier League.Sidny Lopes CabralThe most celebrated goalscorers in football were at the World Cup — but the goal of the tournament was scored by a defender playing for one of the competition’s minnows.Argentina’s 3-2 win over Cape Verde in the round of 32 was a classic nobody expected. Cape Verde had captured the imagination by progressing from the group stage, holding eventual champions Spain to a 0-0 draw in their opener — but when they began the second half of that game against Argentina trailing 1-0, courtesy of Messi, few thought the fairytale would last more than another 45 minutes.But there was a bonus chapter: first came Deroy Duarte’s second-half equaliser to force extra time, in which Argentina swiftly retook the lead. Then, in the 103rd minute, came Lopes Cabral’s stunning, ludicrous curled effort from the edge of the penalty area. His sprint into the crowd afterwards to seek out his partner made a moment already loaded with emotion even more memorable. When Argentina went ahead for a third time in the 111th minute, it finally proved too much. Cape Verde’s World Cup ended there, but Lopes Cabral’s equaliser was named the goal of the tournament.