Brian Madjo debut sparks wild fan reaction as hype soars: 'England have Harry Kane replacement'

17-year-old striker looks a superstar in the making after Aston Villa goal against PSG in UEFA Super Cup

The 17-year-old striker was the player everyone was talking about ahead of Wednesday night’s annual clash between the Champions League winners and Europa League holders in Salzburg.

Though Villa lost the game 2-1 at Red Bull Arena courtesy of a second-half winner from Desire Doue that saw PSG retain their crown, Madjo remained by far the biggest topic of conversation.

The teenager volleyed in John McGinn’s cross at the back post on the stroke of half-time to pull Unai Emery’s side level in Austria following an opener from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Madjo had already gone close to scoring on his debut on four different occasions and given the established PSG centre-back pairing of Marquinhos and Willian Pacho a torrid time with his sheer quality and formidable physicality.

He eventually made way for Tammy Abraham with 18 minutes to play, while 19-year-old team-mate George Hemmings got the full 90 as he also shone on what was a promising evening for Villa despite their defeat.

The first glimpse of Madjo - who already stands at 6ft 4ins tall - in a Villa shirt in a competitive outing certainly did not disappoint, with fans thrilled to finally see him in action at last following an eight-month battle that followed his £10million transfer from French club Metz after turning 17 in January.

FIFA did not allow Villa to register Madjo for the second half of last season due to not permitting international transfers for players aged under 18.

Madjo - the son of former Cameroonian midfielder Guy Madjo, who played for a host of English clubs including Bristol City - grew up in Luxembourg and has represented the country three times in friendlies at senior international level, though Villa argued that his registration should be allowed due to the fact that he was born in London.

Their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was eventually successful, allowing Madjo to make his long-awaited competitive debut against PSG in the absence of Ollie Watkins.

Madjo is eligible to play for England as the country of his birth and has switched international allegiance after playing a number of times for Liam Bramley’s Under-17s - something that is allowed due to the fact that none of his senior appearances for Luxembourg last year came in competitive matches.

He featured for the Three Lions at last summer’s European Under-17 Championship in Albania.

England and Villa supporters alike have struggled to keep a lid on their excitement over Madjo’s potential, with one even writing on X: “Brian Madjo is going to be some player. 17 years old and he's equalised against PSG for Aston Villa. We have our Harry Kane replacement.”

Another post on X read: “Brian Madjo could have scored 4 goals in 45 minutes vs the 2x reigning European champions on his debut as a 17 year old. WHAT ON EARTH.”

On talkSPORT, former Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor said: “I don’t think you can start saying now he’s the next [England] striker after Harry Kane, but if I’m the FA, I am fast-tracking him.”

Agbonlahor went on to say that the “fantastic” Madjo reminded him of a young Romelu Lukaku, while fellow ex-Villa star Lee Hendrie drew comparisons to Emile Heskey.

Madjo also received strong praise from his team-mates and manager Emery, with Villa captain John McGinn saying after the PSG game: “He was absolutely fantastic - 17 years of age, such a great physical specimen.

“But he's been through a lot. He's not been able to play for six months to a year and he's handled that amazingly. He's kept himself in good shape.

“It would have been very easy for him to put his head down after those missed chances, but good strikers get themselves in those positions, and he's going to be a big player for us this season.”