HEIR TO THE THRONE? Aston Villa wonderkid Madjo profiled after UEFA Super Cup strike as teenage striker backed to become Kane's long-term England successor

One game, one goal. That's all it takes for a young striker to put themselves on the list of potential Harry Kane successors, such is the concern among England fans over who'll lead the line once their captain's powers wane.

A despondent Kane admitted in the aftermath of England's heartbreaking defeat to Argentina last month that he doesn't know if he'll play at the next World Cup in 2030. By then, he'll be 36 and likely not the force he was in North America.

That's why England need to start the search for his successor. Step forward: Brian Madjo.

At 17 years and six months old, starting a match of UEFA Super Cup's magnitude is enough to get people talking. But his emphatic first-time finish against European champions Paris Saint-Germain has sparked feverish excitement at Villa Park.

The Aston Villa wonderkid - we can safely label him that now - held off Willian Pacho with relative ease at the back post before firing past Matvey Safonov with his weaker left foot. Although it wouldn't send Villa on their way to victory, it was a goal that announced himself on the European stage.

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But talent spotters have known about him for years. Born in Enfield, north London, Madjo moved to Luxembourg with his Cameroonian parents at a young age. His dad, Guy, was a striker himself and played for several EFL clubs.

After playing in the academies of Luxembourgish sides Marisca Mersch and Racing Union, French club Metz - then in the top flight - came calling in 2023. He made his debut last season aged 16 and played a further four games for their first team in the first half of the 2025-26 campaign.

Meanwhile, Madjo won three caps for Luxembourg at senior level. But thanks to FIFA's rules on player allegiance, he was able to switch to England, as those caps had come in friendlies.

Madjo has since played nine times for England's under-17s, scoring four goals and providing one assist. At club level, however, his move to Aston Villa wasn't as simple.

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Signed for £10million in January, Madjo initially couldn't play in competitive fixtures due to FIFA's rules on the international transfers of minors. The 17-year-old's transfer was considered an international one due to his appearances for Luxembourg, whereas Villa argued that he was English - given that he was born there and is a UK citizen.

The Premier League club took the dispute to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and won their legal battle earlier this month. That allowed Madjo to be involved in Wednesday's Super Cup in Salzburg and Unai Emery gave him the nod in the absence of Ollie Watkins.

Afforded extra time off after being part of England's squad at the World Cup, Watkins suddenly faces a fight to be in Emery's first-choice starting line-up. At 30, though, Watkins will still fancy his chances of being Kane's successor himself.

Yet his situation at Villa Park could soon be replicated with England. Former Villa striker Stan Collymore reckons that a senior call-up isn't far away. "I guarantee he'll be fast tracked into U21s then seniors by the end of the season," Collymore posted on X during Wednesday's clash.

"England are struggling for strikers, out and out No.9s. We aren't producing them at any senior or youth level. So Madjo (he's raw but his physical dominance of two world class central defenders WILL warrant a look by England scouting analysis) potentially being fast tracked simply addresses a problem.

"Is he good enough? God knows. Is one friendly judgement overkill (he's been very good in pre season and one of Europe's best managers deemed him ready enough to play against the European Champions), no I don't think so. There's a gap in England and looking at him is just common sense."

After full-time, Villa right-back Matty Cash was asked about Madjo and described his team-mate as a 'beast'. "All pre-season he's put his body around, scored goals," Cash explained.

"And then tonight he had a few chances as well. He had the header where he probably could've scored and then a good finish. Really happy for him and 17 is still so young. He'll be delighted."

Last year, Luxembourg's technical director, Manuel Cardoni, likened him to Romelu Lukaku - but insists that Madjo can be better. "His profile is similar but, even if we are keeping our feet on the ground, Brian has a more complete profile," Cardoni claimed.

"He is good in tight spaces, really good in terms of positional play. He is also good in terms of going in behind, and he can also feed the ball with both feet. He has huge room for growth."

Plenty of excitement, then. But to offer context for how early we are into Madjo's career, you can't even buy him on Fantasy Premier League yet.

Nevertheless, there'll already be expectation on his shoulders when Villa kick-off their Premier League campaign away to Brighton next Sunday. And with the September-October international break not far away, who knows what Thomas Tuchel is thinking?

Madjo could be rubbing shoulders with Kane sooner than we think - or even breathing down his neck.

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