One to watch: Metz's Brian Madjo - a precocious talent

It is not every player who makes their international debut at the age of just 16. However, that is exactly what Brian Madjo did in March. Having celebrated his 16th birthday just over two months earlier, he wore the Luxembourg jersey for the first time in an international friendly against Sweden.

He is a centre-forward whose breakthrough into the professional world has come ahead of time. Aware of his talent, as well as his many suitors, Metz opted to accelerate his development, not only handing him a professional deal over the summer, but also fast-tracking him into the first team.

"He outclassed [everyone] in the U19s," said Metz manager Stéphane Le Mignan back in July. His 13 goals in 26 games at this level - when he was just 15 years old - last season meant that Metz weren't wanting to wait around. "He has an advanced body for his age, so he is able to meet the physical demands," he added.

Brian Madjo is making his Ligue 1 debut at just 16 years old! 🇱🇺💎 pic.twitter.com/MiH938Nyja
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 17, 2025

Le Mignan hypothesised that the centre-forward could have a significant role to play this season. If Metz's slender loss to Strasbourg in the Derby de l'Ést is anything to go by, the 16-year-old could have a significant role to play, as Les Grénats bid to retain their place in Ligue 1 McDonald's.

A pure No.9, measuring 1m90, Madjo's athleticism is what immediately catches the eye, and it is that which has earned him comparisons to Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku. However, beyond his physicality, he is a centre-forward who likes to get in behind the defence and whose ball-striking has also distinguished him as a player destined for big things.

Madjo a 'more complete profile' than Lukaku

"His profile is similar," admits Manuel Cardoni, the technical director of the Luxembourg football federation, when asked about the Lukaku comparisons. "But, even if we are keeping our feet on the ground, Brian has a more complete profile [than Lukaku], because he is good in tight spaces, really good in terms of positional play. He is also good in terms of going in behind [the defence], and he can also feed the ball with both feet. He has huge room for growth," added Cardoni.

Cardoni added that, because of his "precocious physical development", he asked the youth coaches to put him in midfield in order to mitigate that physical advantage and to allow him to develop technically and in terms of game intelligence. It is at U14 and U15 level that he was put up front.

The repositioning has worked to good effect. Having arrived at Metz last year, his prolific campaign with the U19s has acted as a springboard for him to embrace the Ligue of talents at the age of just 16.

In the professional world, in his limited minutes, he looks at ease, and at Metz, he looks at home. It resembles something like home, too, with his twin brother, Bradley, joining Les Grenats on the same weekend that Brian made his debut. Quite the weekend for the Madjo brothers.

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