After eight months in limbo, the outcome was finally worth the wait for Brian Madjo. Although Aston Villa suffered a 2-1 defeat to Paris St-Germain in the Uefa Super Cup in Salzburg on Wednesday, the 17-year-old striker made an impressive impact after finally receiving the opportunity to showcase his talent on a major stage.
After initially joining from Metz in January, the 17-year-old ended the frustration which had built during his 212-day wait for competitive action with a grand entrance. An England Under-17 international, the bruising forward will naturally grab more headlines if he maintains the level he displayed in Austria against the back-to-back Champions League winners.
Villa had fought since the start of the year to register the 6ft 4in Madjo following his £10m arrival from Metz. The club was barred from registering the teenager by Fifa until they won an appeal through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) at the start of this month.
Under-18 players cannot complete international transfers, but the club argued that since Madjo was born in London he should be exempt—despite having three caps for Luxembourg in friendlies. Fifa does allow some exemptions for minor players to make moves, including if a 16 or 17-year-old transfers within the European Union, a framework the UK is no longer part of.
The legal battle was finally won just eight days ago after Villa took their case to CAS in July. Madjo was subsequently added to the travelling party for Salzburg, having not been included in the initial squad. He was unleashed against PSG and quickly repaid the faith shown by manager Unai Emery.
With Ollie Watkins rested after World Cup duty and Tammy Abraham left on the bench, the youngster was given the responsibility up front by Emery, having already scored four pre-season goals. Teenager Madjo scored the equaliser for Villa, holding off Ecuador international Willian Pacho to volley in John McGinn’s cross.
His strike at the Red Bull Arena was arguably the hardest chance of the trio he had in a first half full of promise. It cancelled out Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s opener for PSG, though Desire Doue later hit a second-half winner after a video assistant referee (VAR) check. Before his goal, the hulking Madjo had earlier planted a free header over from three yards and shot wide, but remained a constant nuisance for the PSG captain and Brazilian centre-back Marquinhos.
“He played because he was showing us his capacity to work and be demanding,” said boss Emery. “It is not just about scoring goals, it’s about defending and how he has the commitment and discipline tactically. I wanted to play with young players and watch their progression. Now the reality is we have shown their capacity, but they have to keep being consistent and keep performing at the level they were.”
Since his previous appearances for Luxembourg, he accepted an England Under-17 call-up last year and has four goals in nine appearances, scoring on his debut against Venezuela. With England searching for their next No9 once Harry Kane eventually retires, Madjo could force himself into the conversation in the coming years.
Villa have been looking to sign a new striker—Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson has been a summer target—but Madjo’s availability now gives Emery a different option and dilemma before the Premier League season opener at Brighton on 23 August.
Former Villa striker Dion Dublin said Radio 5 Live: “You’ve got a young player coming, especially on a stage like this one, against PSG, getting in those scoring positions and not allowing that disappointment to stay with you. I saw Brian Madjo, he had his hands on his head for a couple of seconds and then he got into another scoring position.”
Dublin added: “He was brave enough to get back into that scoring position and if he keeps missing it’s not frightening him. He’s happy to have that pressure on his shoulders. I’ve been there, you need to be able to deal with it. At 17, he seems to be doing it easily.”
Before his goal, the hulking Madjo had earlier planted a free header over from three yards and shot wide, but was a constant nuisance for 11-time Ligue 1 winner and Brazilian centre-back and captain Marquinhos.
Villa have already sold Morgan Rogers in a record £117m deal to Chelsea and Youri Tielemans to Manchester United, and Konsa’s departure would be a another bitter blow after winning the Europa League last season and qua
“I can feel free with my decision and proud of the players.”
Whether Konsa will still be a Villa player for the league opener against Brighton remains open to debate with Arsenal expected to step up their pursuit of the defender.
Villa have already sold Morgan Rogers in a record £117m deal to Chelsea and Youri Tielemans to Manchester United, and Konsa’s departure would be a another bitter blow after winning the Europa League last season and qualifying for the Champions League.
Keeper Martinez will stay, despite interest from Juventus this summer.
Emery added: “We decided to play this match with the players who were ready to play, were fit and trying to avoid some risk with some players.
It is very important how we are going to manage the players.
“I am trying to use my experience to avoid some mistakes which i can understand can happen.
