Brian Madjo had never been allowed to kick a competitive ball for Aston Villa when he walked out at Salzburg’s Red Bull Arena on Thursday. Forty-five minutes later, a European record Patrick Kluivert had held for 30 years belonged to him.
The teenager met John McGinn’s cross on the stroke of half-time, wrestled Willian Pacho off the ball and volleyed left-footed into the roof of the net for 1-1. At 17 years and 212 days, he became the youngest goalscorer in UEFA Super Cup history, more than two years younger than Kluivert, who had set the mark for Ajax in 1996 at 19 years and 220 days.
Team-mate Matty Cash’s verdict was blunt.
“Ah, he’s a beast. He’s so good. All pre-season, he’s put his body around, scored goals, and then tonight he’s had a few chances. He had the header, where he probably could have scored, and then a good finish. Really happy for him. Obviously, 17 is still so young, he’ll be delighted.”
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Brian Madjo is getting compared players such as Romelu Lukaku, and Emile Heskey.
Seven months of training, no minutes
Villa paid Metz a reported £10.5m for Madjo in January, then watched FIFA block his registration under Article 19 of its regulations, which restricts international transfers involving players under 18. The striker trained with the squad for seven months without a single competitive appearance.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Villa’s appeal on 4 August, eight days before the Super Cup, clearing him on the strength of his British passport.
Born in Enfield, raised in Luxembourg
Madjo was born in Enfield, north London, in January 2009. He moved to Luxembourg as a child and had already appeared for the Luxembourg senior side before switching to England’s under-17s. His parents are from Cameroon, a third international option he has not taken up. The London birth and UK citizenship carried the day before the CAS panel.
For half a match on his debut, the finish itself was almost secondary. BBC Radio 5 Live’s Dion Dublin, calling the game live, replayed the sequence in real time: “The young lad will not take no for an answer, he kept getting in those positions. He smacks it into the roof from close range, bundles Willian Pacho off the ball with strength, left-foot volley and what a finish.”
The equaliser was not enough. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had put Paris Saint-Germain ahead in the 20th minute, Désiré Doué struck the winner in the 61st, and the French side retained the trophy 2-1. The record, and the confirmation that he can now play, are what Madjo took home from Salzburg.
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