Brian Madjo cleared to play and scores in Uefa Super Cup as transfer eligibility dispute is resolved

Earlier this month Aston Villa’s 17-year-old striker Brian Madjo — 6ft4in, body of iron ore — was cleared by the court of arbitration for sport to play competitive fixtures for the club after a dispute with Fifa over his transfer; he then became the youngest player to score in Uefa’s annual Super Cup when he netted against Paris Saint-Germain. Madjo had already found the net four times in pre-season friendlies and, after missing three gilt-edged chances in the Super Cup, converted a volley from a tight angle to open his competitive scoring account.

Villa and Fifa disagreed over whether Madjo, who was signed from Metz in January for £10m, should be treated as a home purchase or an international transfer; if ruled an international move, as a minor he would not have been eligible to play until turning 18 next January. Born in Enfield and raised in the Grand Duchy after his Cameroonian parents moved there, Madjo has already been capped by Luxembourg, although only in friendlies.

Madjo had banged in four goals in pre-season friendlies against Walsall, Real Sociedad and Indonesia All Stars while the eligibility case was pending. Having become the youngest player ever to start in Uefa’s annual amuse-bouche, he needed less than 45 minutes against PSG to become the youngest to score in one, doing so after several earlier misses and finishing with a roofed volley from the left.

The Super Cup goal involved a physical duel with two-time European champion and Ecuador international Willian Pacho, whom Madjo is described as having “flung … around like an old tattered sock” as he worked the chance and converted. That sequence underlined the immediate impact Villa’s young forward made on a major stage despite his age.

Madjo’s emergence has provoked a tug-of-love over his international future: he has represented Luxembourg in friendlies and is eligible for England by birth, while Cameroon have yet to throw their hat into the ring. Those facts sit alongside the contractual and eligibility questions that delayed his competitive debut.

The article places Madjo (17) alongside fellow Super Cup teammate George Hemmings (19) and a list of other young prospects, naming Arsenal’s Max Dowman (16), Manchester United’s JJ Gabriel (15), Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha (17) and Manchester City’s Ryan McAidoo (18); Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal is also singled out at 19.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you, I don’t know how to carry on. All I ever did was play football, and now I have a fair few doubts as to whether I’ll carry on doing it for much longer. You were by my side from the start, we were so ⁠close to the end [of my career]. Why didn’t you hang on just that little bit longer so we could finish it together?” – Lionel Messi ponders his future in football after the death of his father and agent, Jorge, at the age of 68. His father had persuaded him to play at the World Cup, and his health deteriorated in the days before the start of the tournament. On Wednesday, Messi made his first appearance for Inter Miami since Jorge’s funeral in a 3-2 defeat to Club León in the Leagues Cup.

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