Brian Madjo breaks Super Cup record on Villa debut

Brian Madjo scored once on his Aston Villa debut, but the bigger number was the one he took from Patrick Kluivert. At 17, he broke Kluivert's 30-year record as the Super Cup's youngest goalscorer in Villa's 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint Germain. The debut had plenty of rough edges, too. Madjo missed his first three big chances before scoring the fourth.

Madjo's night in front of goal

The raw output was simple enough. Madjo had five shots, with only one on target, and still found the finish that mattered most. That sequence fits the performance he had, not the tidy version clubs like to hand out after the fact. He kept asking questions of PSG's back line, and at 6'4" he gave Villa a physical outlet they could keep hitting.

Unai Emery's comments pointed to a wider rebuild rather than a one-off cameo. "We're seeing changes - certain players are leaving, certain coaches as well, and even members of the medical staff are leaving," he told skysports.com. Emery also said, "We are increasing our budget through good results on the pitch."

Villa's youth gamble

Madjo was not the only teenager given responsibility. George Hemmings, 19, made a surprise start as the number 10 and played all 96 minutes, which tells you Emery was not treating the occasion like a protected learning exercise. John McGinn also started on the right flank despite a recent knee issue, another sign that Villa were willing to adjust personnel for the match rather than default to the safest shape.

The result stayed close right to the end. Emiliano Buendía headed wide in the 95th and final minute, a chance that would have changed the tone of the evening again. Villa and PSG met again after their April 2025 Champions League ties, and this time Villa pushed the European champions hard enough to leave with more than a narrow loss in the scoreline.

The headline will always be Madjo's record. The more interesting part for Villa is that the club trusted a 17-year-old, a 19-year-old and a reshuffled attack on a major stage, and got a debut goal out of it against PSG.