Bryan Madjo started for Aston Villa against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup final, and the 17-year-old immediately set a record that will sit in the competition’s history books. At 17 years and 212 days, he became the youngest player ever to start the final, a milestone tied to Unai Emery’s decision to name him in the XI.
Opta said Madjo was the youngest player to start a UEFA Super Cup final since records began in 2006. That detail matters because the standard is not about simply appearing in the match; it is about being trusted from the opening whistle in a title game.
Opta and the 2006 record line
In practical terms, the record comes from a narrow statistical line: Opta’s tracking for the UEFA Super Cup final begins in 2006, and Madjo’s start sits at the top of that database. He now holds the youngest-start mark for that competition’s final, not just a teenage appearance.
For Aston Villa, the choice meant Emery put a player born only 17 years and 212 days earlier into one of the most demanding roles in the match. For Madjo, it turned a start into a measurable place in the record book rather than a routine selection.
Alexis and the European-final comparison
Alexis, known as Mister Chip, said Madjo became the youngest player to start any European final. He framed the comparison against two younger players who appeared in European finals but did not start, which is the difference that separates a substitute cameo from a record-setting XI spot.
Ronald de Boer featured in the 1987 Super Cup at 17 years and 193 days, and Ibrahim Mbaye featured in the 2025 edition at 17 years and 201 days. Both were younger than Madjo on the day they appeared, but neither was in the starting line-up; that is why Madjo’s age combined with his role produces a different record.
Aston Villa, PSG and the XI
The comparison also explains why the wording around Madjo’s achievement is so specific. European finals have seen younger players take part, yet starting the match changes the historical category entirely. Madjo’s case is the youngest start in the UEFA Super Cup final record, and the broader European-final claim rests on the same starting-lineup distinction.
For readers tracking the significance, the key point is simple: the age alone does not tell the whole story. The record depends on being in the XI, not on being on the bench and entering later, which is why the two younger names cited by Mister Chip do not displace Madjo from the top line.
That leaves the cleanest reading of the night: a teenage Aston Villa player, selected by Emery, started against Paris Saint-Germain and moved straight into a record category that began with the 2006 data line and now carries his name. The only open question from the selection itself is why Emery chose him for that XI spot, and the team sheet does not answer that on its own.
