Brian Madjo
Striker · Aston Villa · Luxembourg
About Brian Madjo
Brian Madjo is a 17-year-old Aston Villa striker whose career nearly stalled before it began: FIFA blocked his €12m move from FC Metz under its under-18 transfer protection rule, keeping him out of first-team action entirely until Aston Villa won a legal appeal. He marked his eventual debut in style, scoring in the 2026 UEFA Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain and setting a new competition age record in the process.
Brian Madjo's story
London Birth, Luxembourg Upbringing
Madjo was born in Enfield, north London, to Cameroonian parents — his father Guy Madjo was also a professional footballer — before the family moved to Luxembourg while he was young. He came through the youth academies of Marisca Mersch and Racing Union in Luxembourg before French Ligue 1 side FC Metz signed him into their academy in 2023.
Breaking Records Before He'd Even Signed
Madjo turned professional with Metz in July 2025, making his senior debut against Strasbourg on 17 August 2025 and becoming the youngest debutant in the club's history in the process. He also earned three senior caps for Luxembourg in 2025, before England came calling too: called up to the England U17s that same August, he scored on his debut against Venezuela U17 the following month — reflecting his eligibility for both nations through birth and upbringing.
A £10m Teenager FIFA Wouldn't Let Play
Aston Villa signed Madjo from Metz on 12 January 2026 — his 17th birthday — for a fee reported at up to €12m. FIFA blocked the registration under Article 19, the rule barring international transfers of players under 18, classifying the move as international because of his senior Luxembourg caps. Villa were left unable to play him in any fixture at all while the case went before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The Debut That Was Worth The Wait
CAS ruled in Aston Villa's favour on 4 August 2026, clearing Madjo to finally be registered. Eight days later, he made his first-team debut from the bench in the 2026 UEFA Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain in Salzburg and equalised to make it 1-1, becoming the youngest goalscorer in Super Cup history at 17 years and 212 days — beating a record held by Patrick Kluivert since 1996 by more than two years. PSG went on to win 2-1.
Did you know?
- ⚖️ FIFA's Article 19 (the rule protecting under-18s from international transfers) blocked his registration entirely for seven months, until Aston Villa won a Court of Arbitration for Sport appeal on 4 August 2026 — just eight days before his eventual debut.
- 📈 His FC Metz debut broke a club record that had stood since 1974 for the youngest player to ever appear for the first team.
- 👨👦 Football runs in the family: his father Guy Madjo, born in Douala, Cameroon, played as a striker in England for Bristol City, Crawley Town, Cheltenham Town, Shrewsbury Town, Aldershot Town and Plymouth Argyle, and was a former Cameroon youth and under-23 international.
- 🌍 He is eligible to represent Luxembourg, England or Cameroon at senior level — he has already won a cap scoring on his debut for England's U17s, adding an extra layer of intrigue to which country he ultimately commits to long-term.
- 💪 Luxembourgish outlet Virgule described him in 2023, aged just 14, as "1.93m tall, built like a rock, athletic and technically interesting" — the physical profile behind the Romelu Lukaku comparisons that follow him.
- 🙌 His own reaction to the Super Cup goal, posted straight after full time: "Debut... Too much to say, so no caption. Up the Villa!"
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