Brian Madjo made his long-awaited Aston Villa debut in the UEFA Super Cup, and the teenager quickly showed why the Villans have been working so hard to bring him in.
The 17-year-old tracked a cross and scored on the volley in the 45th minute of the match with PSG, bringing Aston Villa level just before halftime.
INCREDIBLE MOMENT FOR BRIAN MADJO 🤯
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) August 12, 2026
The 17-year-old striker equalizes for Aston Villa against the back-to-back Champions League winners PSG 🦁
Stream PSG vs. Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup on @paramountplus 📺 pic.twitter.com/9K9Rl8Qk9D
But who is Madjo, and why was there a dispute about whether or not he was eligible to join Villa?
Where was Brian Madjo signed from?
Madjo made his professional debut less than a year ago, bursting on the scene with French club Metz when
he was still 16 years old.
The son of a former Cameroon youth international who played striker for clubs in the English Football League, Madjo spent most of his youth in Luxembourg. He developed with a club there and also suited up for the youth and senior national teams of Europe's seventh-smallest country.
In France, however, he quickly caught the eye of larger clubs, with Aston Villa trying to bring Madjo on in January 2026 but running into FIFA complications with the transfer.
Why did Aston Villa have to battle FIFA to bring in Brian Madjo?
Because he grew up in Luxembourg and had made a trio of international appearances for the senior side, FIFA viewed Madjo's potential move from Metz to Villa as an international transfer. That meant he wouldn't have been eligible to move until his 18th birthday on Jan. 12, 2027.
However, Villa contended that since the player was born in London, he was able to make the move as an English player, with their case bolstered by his appearances with the England U-17 team in August 2025.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Aston Villa's appeal in early August, clearing the way for Madjo to be registered and to take part in the Super Cup — plus Villa's Premier League and UEFA Champions League campaigns.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Brian Madjo, the 17-year-old rising star scoring goals for Aston Villa?
