Brian Madjo's competitive debut for Aston Villa against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup has sparked widespread excitement, with fans hailing the 17-year-old as a future England striker.
The teenager volleyed in John McGinn's cross at the back post on the stroke of half-time to equalise for Villa in Salzburg, after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had opened the scoring for PSG. Villa eventually lost 2-1, with Desire Doue scoring the winner in the second half, but Madjo remained the main talking point.
Debut performance
Madjo had already gone close to scoring four times before his goal and gave the experienced PSG centre-back pairing of Marquinhos and Willian Pacho a difficult evening with his quality and physicality. He was substituted for Tammy Abraham after 72 minutes, while 19-year-old team-mate George Hemmings played the full 90 minutes in a promising display.
Standing at 6ft 4ins, Madjo's first competitive appearance in a Villa shirt followed an eight-month wait after his £10million transfer from French club Metz in January, when he turned 17. FIFA initially blocked his registration because international transfers of players under 18 are not permitted, but Villa's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was successful.
International eligibility
Madjo was born in London, which Villa argued allowed his registration, and he is eligible to play for England. He has represented Luxembourg three times in senior friendlies but has switched allegiance after playing for England's Under-17s, including at last summer's European Under-17 Championship in Albania.
Fans have reacted enthusiastically on social media, with one writing on X: "Brian Madjo is going to be some player. 17 years old and he's equalised against PSG for Aston Villa. We have our Harry Kane replacement." Another post read: "Brian Madjo could have scored 4 goals in 45 minutes vs the 2x reigning European champions on his debut as a 17 year old. WHAT ON EARTH."
Praise from pundits and team-mates
Former Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT: "I don't think you can start saying now he's the next [England] striker after Harry Kane, but if I'm the FA, I am fast-tracking him." Agbonlahor compared Madjo to a young Romelu Lukaku, while fellow ex-Villa star Lee Hendrie drew comparisons to Emile Heskey.
Villa captain John McGinn praised Madjo after the match, saying: "He was absolutely fantastic - 17 years of age, such a great physical specimen. But he's been through a lot. He's not been able to play for six months to a year and he's handled that amazingly. He's kept himself in good shape. It would have been very easy for him to put his head down after those missed chances, but good strikers get themselves in those positions, and he's going to be a big player for us this season."
