Seventeen-Year-Old Brian Madjo Makes UEFA Super Cup History Despite Aston Villa Defeat
A 17-year-old scored in a European final on Wednesday night, and it still was not quite enough. Brian Madjo became the youngest player to both start and score in a UEFA Super Cup match, firing Aston Villa's goal in a 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2026 final, staged on 12 August with a 21:00 CET kick-off (UEFA).
Paris Saint-Germain, lifting the Super Cup for the second consecutive season, went ahead through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the 45th minute. Madjo equalised in the 61st — a finish that, according to UEFA's records, made him the youngest scorer in the competition's history. Désiré Doué then struck in the second half to seal PSG's 2-1 win (Yahoo Sports).
The Super Cup is an annual match between the winners of Europe's two major club competitions — the Champions League and the Europa League — so simply being on the pitch is a mark of how far Aston Villa have travelled under manager Unai Emery. That Emery handed a teenager a place in his starting XI for a final tells its own story about the trust Madjo has earned (Aston Villa FC).
What makes this stand out is how quickly it has all come together. Madjo only joined Aston Villa from French side FC Metz in January 2026 (Aston Villa FC). Seven months on, he is scoring in European finals. His pre-season had already hinted at what was coming: goals in a friendly against Real Sociedad in late July, then another in a 3-1 win at GBK Main Stadium in Jakarta, where he found the net alongside Emi Buendía and Ross Barkley (Aston Villa FC).
On BBC Sport's Match of the Day, former defenders Nedum Onuoha and Stephen Warnock broke down Madjo's performance in a video feature published on 12 August, describing his goalscoring display as "hugely impressive" (BBC Sport). The feature is available to UK users only.
For Villa fans, the result stings — a trophy that slipped away — but the night belonged to a teenager who should have been nowhere near this stage so soon. Emery built a team to compete with PSG, and in Madjo he found a player unbothered by the occasion. Villa lost the match. They may have found something far more valuable.
