He is 18, and he did not flinch
The Dragao, a Champions League night, and a midfield still under construction. Enzo Maresca went with Ayyoub Bouaddi. Not Elliot Anderson, the 135m euro signing. Him.
The kid from Senlis had managed two Premier League cameos since his 100m euro move from Lille, nothing more. His first start came in Porto last night, alongside Enzo Fernandez, and City won 2-0 with their teenager giving away almost nothing.
England woke up slightly dazed. The papers have not stopped since.
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Maresca, the BBC and The Athletic all reached for the same word
His manager set the tone in the press conference. “We expect Erling, Ruben and Mateo to handle games like this better, but you don’t expect it from an 18-year-old. I didn’t see him panic,” Maresca said, before praising the maturity and the fluent French, English and Spanish.
The BBC is asking whether City have found a rare gem. The Daily Mail keeps returning to the trust placed in a player that age, signed for 85 million pounds. The Athletic went further: “it looked like he had been doing this for years.” The outlet fixed on one detail that told the story, Rayan Cherki giving him the ball with two defenders closing in.
Erling Haaland, who scored twice, was the only one complaining. In jest. “He should have played me through in the second half when I was on my own. I was a bit annoyed, so I’ll tell him straight away: he had a good game, apart from that pass.”
The player himself is not buying any of it
Bouaddi refuses the spotlight. “Erling Haaland is the finisher, we know he is the one who will score the goals and Rayan Cherki is a fantastic player. I still need to adapt even more to this team,” he told Canal+.
None of this is entirely new to him. Back in October 2024, in Lille colours, he had already held his own against Real Madrid. Eight caps for Morocco later, the elite education is moving fast.
Sunday brings the Manchester derby. Maresca has a call to make.
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