Brian Madjo marked his competitive Aston Villa debut with a goal in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, earning praise from teammate Tyrone Mings for his mental resilience at just 17 years old. The striker, signed from FC Metz in January, had been unable to play in the second half of last season after FIFA blocked his registration, before Villa successfully appealed the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Patience and Persistence Pay Off
Madjo had scored four goals in six pre-season games before facing PSG, and manager Unai Emery trusted him to lead the line against the French champions' first-choice centre-back duo of Marquinhos and Pacho. Despite passing up several chances, Madjo tucked away arguably his hardest chance at the back post just before half-time, winning a physical duel before beating Matvei Safonov.
Mings felt the goal was a fitting reward for Madjo's performance and a testament to his mentality, given his previous misses and the fact that he had to wait eight months to make his competitive debut.
“Good lad, great lad. He has obviously had to be very patient until he could play,” Mings said. “So, I think that says a lot about his character. He is very young and very strong. Clearly, mentally he is able to deal with setbacks. He missed a few chances and scored probably the hardest of them all. But, yeah, a fantastic guy. I think you could see the reaction of everybody when he scored. It shows just how much he deserved it and that we were willing him to do well. I am delighted for him.”
Ready for the Opportunity
Mings highlighted that Madjo had been training with the squad for a long time, which prepared him for his debut. “He’s trained with us for a long time. So when he eventually got his chance to play, he was ready to play. He knew our system, he knew how to press. I presume he watched a lot of Ollie Watkins and understood how we play,” Mings added.
Mings also revealed he had spoken with Madjo in the 24 hours before the game, offering advice. “I’ve had a few chats with him in the last 24 hours in terms of what he’s about to go into and the experience. I asked how he’s feeling. He said he was nervous, of course. He’s 17 and it’s a huge game. But I did say to him: ‘You get an amazing opportunity as a striker to just have one good moment and it can change everything for you’. I’m so glad that after missing a couple of chances, he got that goal. He’s a very humble lad. I think everybody wishes him all the very best and hopefully he can contribute in a big way for us on the pitch.”
A Tough Opponent in Training
Asked if he had any bruises from training with Madjo, Mings joked: “I have had some scrapes with a few people over the years, Brian hasn’t been one of them! Listen, obviously he is a tough person to defend against. I think he is about 100kg. He is a big old boy! But no, listen, he has got a very high ceiling. He is very, very difficult to play against. And I just hope that he takes his goal today and it fills him with confidence, and he can go on and contribute to the team.”
Ollie Watkins is due to return to training ahead of the season-opener against Brighton next weekend, along with Ezri Konsa and Emi Martinez, although none of the trio will feature in the final pre-season friendly of the summer against Borussia Monchengladbach. Watkins, who is just nine goals away from joining the Premier League’s 100 Club, will be a big mentor for Madjo.
“I think the manager is big on what we do off the ball, probably more than what we do on the ball,” Mings said when asked what Madjo can learn from his senior teammate. “Ollie’s a great person to watch, because of his work-rate and what he brings to the team. He’s got Tammy, too. That’s two very experienced strikers he has got in and around him. I’m sure he’ll learn a lot.”
