Aston Villa's Brian Madjo announced himself on the European stage in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night, despite his side falling to a 2-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup at Red Bull Arena in Salzburg.
The 17-year-old striker, making his first competitive appearance for Villa, was the dominant talking point of the match even as PSG retained their trophy thanks to a second-half winner from Desire Doue. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had given the Champions League holders an early lead before Madjo levelled matters on the stroke of half-time, converting John McGinn's cross with a well-executed volley at the back post.
That goal was only part of the story. Madjo had already created four other opportunities to score before the interval, repeatedly troubling PSG's experienced central defensive pairing of Marquinhos and Willian Pacho with his physical presence and technical ability. Unai Emery withdrew the youngster with 18 minutes remaining, replacing him with Tammy Abraham, while 19-year-old George Hemmings played the full match and also impressed on a night that offered plenty of encouragement for Villa despite the result.
Madjo's appearance came at the end of a long and complicated saga. Villa signed the striker from French club Metz for a fee of £10million after he turned 17 in January, but FIFA rules preventing international transfers for players under 18 meant he could not be registered for the second half of last season. Villa took the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing that Madjo's registration should be permitted on the grounds that he was born in London. The appeal was ultimately successful, clearing the way for Wednesday's long-awaited debut in the absence of the injured Ollie Watkins.
Madjo's background adds an intriguing international dimension to his emergence. He is the son of former Cameroon international midfielder Guy Madjo, who played for several English clubs including Bristol City, and grew up in Luxembourg, for whom he made three senior appearances in friendly matches. Because none of those caps came in competitive fixtures, Madjo remains eligible to switch allegiance to England, the country of his birth. He has already represented the Three Lions at youth level, featuring at last summer's European Under-17 Championship in Albania after playing several times for England's Under-17s under Liam Bramley.
The performance sent social media into a frenzy, with supporters drawing bold comparisons between the teenager and England captain Harry Kane. Reaction poured in praising his composure and end product against one of Europe's best defences on his first competitive start.
Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor was among those to publicly back the youngster, telling talkSPORT: