A terrace chant before a single senior minute
Seventeen years old. Built like a brick wall. And already the subject of his own song in the Villa Park stands. Brian Madjo has yet to kick a ball in the Premier League. Aston Villa supporters have adopted him regardless.
The Enfield-born forward tore through pre-season. Four goals in friendlies. A stack of praise in the English press. Unai Emery is a hard man to please, and he may just have landed the real thing.
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12 M€ on the back of five Ligue 1 games
On paper it read like madness. Last winter Villa handed over 12 M€ for a 16-year-old with five Ligue 1 games for Metz to his name. A grand total of 157 professional minutes. That was the whole CV.
Then the move stalled. FIFA blocks international transfers involving minors, and Madjo, who had also turned out three times for Luxembourg, fell squarely inside the rule. Villa took the case to CAS. The verdict landed this week: born in London, he qualifies for an exemption. He can play, and he now wears the England U17 shirt.
Lukaku, Drogba and the comparisons pile up
He is already backing it up on the grass. Against Real Sociedad he rose to head one in from his full 1.93 metres. The BBC reached for the word predator and name-checked Romelu Lukaku. The Sun went with Didier Drogba. Heavy company for a teenager, but that is where the hype has gone.
The Athletic reported that Emery clocked him in training before last season was even out. Tied down until 2032, Madjo should get his Premier League taste before long. What nobody knows yet is how a 16-year-old bought for 12 M€ carries that weight. So far he looks built for it.
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