Aston Villa’s January recruit Brian Madjo impressed in the friendly defeat to Elche in Spain last week
12:24, 30 Mar 2026Updated 12:32, 30 Mar 2026
Brian Madjo joined Aston Villa in January(Image: The FA via Getty Images)
Brian Madjo has had a difficult start to his career at Aston Villa, as his registration with the club is not yet complete.
The 17-year-old striker joined the Premier League club in a deal worth around £10 million from FC Metz in January.
However, he has yet to feature for Villa’s first-team or academy sides in official matches due to registration issues, with FIFA currently blocking Villa from completing Madjo’s registration.
Madjo, who does not turn 18 until January 2027, is affected by Article 19 of FIFA’s rules, which prohibits international transfers of players under 18. Although he was born in England, the complication arises because he joined from an overseas club.
The transfer of youth players from abroad has become more complex since the United Kingdom left the European Union in 2020, as clubs no longer qualify for EU exemptions when signing foreign players.
Despite these hurdles, the striker has been training at Bodymoor Heath and is gradually being integrated into the first-team environment.
He got his first taste of playing for the club last week in Villa’s friendly against Spanish side Elche on Friday, with the wait for fans to see what he could offer finally over.
Madjo came off the bench in the second half and caught the eye of supporters, with many sharing their first impressions of the forward on social media.
One said: “Liked the look of Madjo, glad Unai gave the young lads a run out.”
A second posted: “He was okay, almost worked a chance for himself after the ball bounced off of Watkins. Was pretty active, pressing, very physically imposing – but didn’t see too much of him in possession considering he played 30mins.”
A third wrote: “He is a unit…battered his way through one time and Ollie missed the rebound.”
Another added: “Madjo is a powerhouse of a man. He’s a specimen.”
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