Aston Villa lost the European Super Cup to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night, but 17-year-old striker Brian Madjo stole the show with his debut performance.
Madjo became the youngest player to score a goal in the Super Cup when he scored the equalizer at the end of the first half, a goal fully deserved for the perseverance he showed after missing several previous chances.
The 17-year-old has impressed for Salzburg. Standing 180cm tall and with a physical presence, he has drawn comparisons to Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku and former Villa and England striker Emile Heskey.
Madjo, who was born in England, put a lot of pressure on one of the best defenders in the world, Willian Pachos, and gave signals that he will light up the Premier League after waiting for the opportunity to appear in the Villa shirt.
Aston Villa signed Madjo from French club Metz on his 17th birthday in January but were unable to register him after FIFA ruled his move as an international transfer, which cannot happen until a player turns 18.
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The dispute arose from the fact that Madjo made three appearances for Luxembourg, where he grew up, while Villa viewed him as an English player.
Madjo played for the Luxembourg senior team, but then made nine appearances for the England U17 team before joining Villa.
He finally got the go-ahead last week when CAS upheld Villa's appeal and after scoring four goals in pre-season friendlies, manager Unai Emery included Madjo in his starting line-up to face back-to-back Champions League winners PSG.
PSG took the lead through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's goal in the 20th minute. It was Madjo who lost possession outside his own area just before PSG's goal and it looked like the teenager would be eclipsed by the Georgian winger's stunning display.
Madjo's first chance came when he passed the ball to John McGinn and then sprinted into the area to receive his captain's cross, but his header went wide of the post and a few minutes later he fired wide.
McGinn again gave Madjo a chance to score with a ball in the area, but the striker's header went over the crossbar.
With his disappointing first half coming to a close, the young footballer continued to put himself in a position to score.
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The Villa captain sent a pass, and Madjo won the duel with Pacho by sending the ball into the net with a volley.
"He was absolutely fantastic," McGinn said.
It would have been very easy for him to let his head hang low after missed chances, but good strikers continue to put themselves in good positions.
"He will be an important player for us this season," McGinn said.
Madjo almost became a service provider immediately after the break, sprinting towards PSG's half of the pitch before passing the ball to McGinn, whose shot was blocked by goalkeeper Matvey Safonov.
Desire Doue scored the winning goal for PSG just after the hour mark, and Madjo was replaced by Tammy Abraham, who was seen hugging the teenager as he left the pitch.
Emery was impressed by Madjo and 19-year-old midfielder George Hemmings.
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"They were working and not playing, and we were trying to prepare them to play and get them to the level they played," Emery said.
"There's still work to be done, but they showed they can be close to us to compete."
