Aston Villa supporters had plenty of reasons to enter the new season with some concern. Youri Tielemans has left after providing creativity, control and a taste for spectacular moments. Morgan Rogers is also gone, taking with him his energy, technique and regular goal threat. Lucas Digne has departed too.
Yet those who have followed Villa’s younger players closely may have felt slightly more optimistic. Earlier this month, 17 year old striker Brian Madjo was cleared by the court of arbitration for sport to appear in competitive matches for the club.
The 6ft4in forward was born in London and has already represented Luxembourg at senior level. Villa signed him from Metz in January for £10m, but a dispute developed between the club and Fifa over the nature of the transfer. The key question was whether Madjo counted as a domestic signing or an international transfer. If the move had been classified as international, rules relating to minors would have prevented him from playing until his 18th birthday next January.
While that issue was being resolved, Madjo made sure his football did the talking.
Madjo makes immediate impact for Aston Villa
The teenager scored four goals during pre season, finding the net against Walsall, Real Sociedad and Indonesia All Stars. Once permission arrived for him to play competitively, his next challenge could hardly have been more demanding.
Madjo was handed 45 minutes against Paris Saint Germain, widely regarded as one of the strongest teams in world football, and had enough chances to have scored several times.
By starting the match, he became the youngest player to feature from the opening whistle in Uefa’s annual Super Cup fixture. Before the first half was over, he added another record by becoming the youngest scorer in the competition.
The goal did not come from his easiest opportunity. Madjo had already passed up three clear chances, but those misses also showed an encouraging quality. He repeatedly appeared in dangerous positions, suggesting an instinct for anticipating where opportunities would develop.
When the breakthrough finally came, he finished the most difficult chance of the lot. Madjo struck a volley high into the net from a narrow angle on the left while competing physically with Paris Saint Germain defender Willian Pacho, a player with extensive experience at European and international level.
It was an eye catching competitive debut that immediately increased attention around the striker.
International future adds another layer to Madjo’s rise
Madjo’s performances could also create an international decision in the coming years.
He has already played for Luxembourg, although only in friendly matches, meaning his long term international future remains open. England could also enter the conversation because Madjo was born in Enfield before growing up in Luxembourg after his Cameroonian parents moved there.
Cameroon could potentially become another option, adding further interest around a player whose club career has only just begun.
For Aston Villa, however, the more immediate question is how quickly expectations should be allowed to grow.
Football has repeatedly produced teenage players who look ready for the highest level before their careers take very different paths. Physical strength, early goals and impressive performances can generate enormous attention, but none of those things guarantee how a young footballer will develop over several seasons.
Madjo’s size, movement and finishing have already created excitement, yet Villa will know there is little benefit in placing excessive responsibility on a 17 year old.
Young players are becoming harder to ignore
At the same time, it is increasingly difficult to dismiss the impact teenagers are making across elite football.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, still only 19, has already reached a level that would once have seemed extraordinary for a player of his age. Madjo and his 19 year old Aston Villa teammate George Hemmings belong to a wider group of young players attracting attention across the Premier League.
Arsenal have 16 year old Max Dowman, Manchester United are watching the development of 15 year old JJ Gabriel, Liverpool have 17 year old Rio Ngumoha and Manchester City possess another highly regarded teenager in 18 year old Ryan McAidoo.
All arrive with different backgrounds, abilities and levels of first team experience. The common challenge is avoiding the temptation to decide too early what each player will eventually become.
Madjo’s first appearances have certainly provided reasons for Villa supporters to watch closely. For now, though, the most sensible judgment is that he has earned more opportunities rather than already proven what his ceiling will be.
Messi reflects on football after the death of his father
Lionel Messi has also spoken about his future following the death of his father and agent, Jorge Messi, at the age of 68.
The Argentina captain described how difficult it is to imagine continuing without the person who had accompanied him throughout almost his entire football career. Messi suggested he now has doubts about how much longer he wants to remain in the game.
Jorge had encouraged his son to take part in the World Cup despite suffering deteriorating health during the period leading into the tournament.
Messi returned to action for Inter Miami on Wednesday for the first time since his father’s funeral. His side were beaten 3 2 by Club León in the Leagues Cup.
The appearance came during an emotional period for the forward, with his comments raising fresh questions over how much longer one of football’s most decorated players intends to continue competing.
Football Daily readers have their say
Readers also responded to recent stories with the usual mixture of sarcasm and humour.
Matt Scott suggested that Bob Cushion should expect little sympathy from the readership, imagining more than a thousand tiny violin players sharing the sentiment.
Kev The Poet offered a brief assessment of Roberto Martínez’s managerial journey, joking that his career history resembles a collection of passport stamps more than a conventional CV.
Phil Taverner, meanwhile, reacted to the suggestion that Jordan Henderson would contribute heavily away from the pitch for Chelsea. He joked that such involvement might mean Henderson operating even further from the field than the advertising boards.
For Aston Villa, though, attention is likely to remain firmly on Madjo. The teenager has already turned uncertainty over his eligibility into a promising start on the pitch. The next challenge will be allowing that development to continue without turning early promise into an impossible burden.
