Who is Brian Madjo? Those words were being typed into search engines all over the world on Wednesday night after Aston Villa’s 17-year-old striker became the youngest goalscorer in Super Cup history.
The 6ft 4in Madjo outmuscled experienced defender Willian Pacho before firing a one-touch volley past Matvey Safonov in the PSG goal moments before half-time. PSG went on to win the trophy, but Madjo’s first-half display was the highlight of the night.
His goal was hardly a surprise after finding threatening positions twice earlier in the game, only to miss the target with one effort and hit the post with another. Finally he broke PSG’s resistance, scoring the first professional goal of what Villa hope is a long career full of them.
It was a goal Villa had been waiting on for eight months, having signed Madjo back in January. Madjo, who has three senior international caps for Luxembourg, was initially restricted from playing for Villa due to Fifa’s rules, which prohibit the international transfer of players under 18.
Villa appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for an exemption to the ruling, on the basis that Madjo was simply returning to the UK, having been born in Enfield, North London, to Cameroonian parents, before moving abroad as a child.
His father, Guy Madjo, left Cameroon aged 20 to embark on a nomadic career as a striker in English football’s lower leagues, and was playing for Shrewsbury Town at the time of Brian’s birth.
Guy Madjo fled to West Africa after being arrested for sexually assaulting a woman in his home in Grayshott, Hampshire. He was tried in absentia at Winchester Crown Court and jailed for three-and-a-half years, but has never returned to the UK. He was reported to be playing for clubs in Gabon around the time of his conviction.
Brian Madjo grew up in Luxembourg and was playing for the youth team of local club Racing Union when he was scouted by French Ligue 1 side FC Metz, 25 miles south of the border, aged 14.
At 16, Madjo was so impressive for Metz’s under-19s – scoring 13 goals in 26 games – that he was rewarded with a professional contract. He became the club’s youngest player when he appeared in a Ligue 1 game aged 16 years and 217 days.
L’Equipe reported several English clubs were closely monitoring Madjo, including Chelsea. But Villa pushed to the front of the queue, partly due to manager Unai Emery’s personal enthusiasm after watching clips of Madjo play, according to The Athletic.
Madjo had only played five senior games for Metz, without scoring. Yet his stature was striking, “built like a rock” according to Luxembourg outlet Virgule, and a “physical monster”.
“His profile is similar [to Romelu Lukaku],” Luxembourg’s technical director Manuel Cardoni said last year. “But, even if we are keeping our feet on the ground, Brian has a more complete profile [than Lukaku], because he is good in tight spaces, really good in terms of positional play. He is also good in terms of going in behind, and he can also feed the ball with both feet. He has huge room for growth.”
Villa were prepared to pay £10m and secured the forward’s signature on his 17th birthday. “I’m really happy to be at this beautiful club,” he said. “The project was the one for me, the environment is very good for me and the coaching staff will help me to improve.
“This is a great opportunity for me because it’s going to make me grow.”
While a legal battle ensued in the background, Madjo impressed in first-team training, and this summer he has been outstanding, scoring four goals in friendlies.
Those performances encouraged Emery to start the teenager against PSG, after Villa’s appeal to CAS was upheld, and Madjo was unfazed by the European champions.
“He played because he was showing us his capacity to work and be demanding,” said Emery. “It is not just about scoring goals, it’s about defending and how he has the commitment and discipline tactically. He was doing that.
“I wanted to play with young players and watch their progression. Brian started scoring goals [in pre-season] against Walsall and Real Sociedad. Now the reality is we have shown their capacity, but they have to keep being consistent, demanding and keep performing at the level they were.”
Defender Tyrone Mings described Madjo after the game as “a big old boy”, and Matty Cash added: “He’s a beast.”
Madjo is set to be a future England international after switching allegiance from Luxembourg to the English youth teams last year, with four goals already for England’s Under-17s.
The question now is whether he starts in the Premier League next weekend at Brighton, when Villa’s season begins, while Ollie Watkins is eased back to club football after the World Cup. Madjo is young, but on this evidence he is ready.