Bouaddi Shines on £86m City Champions League Debut — SkimNews
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- Ayyoub Bouaddi made his first Manchester City start in a 2-0 Champions League win over Porto, completing 54 of 55 passes and topping both sides for dribbles (4), possessions won (7), and duels contested (13).
- Manchester City signed the 18-year-old from Lille for £86m — a Premier League record for a teenager — after he starred for Morocco at the summer World Cup.
- At 18 years and 341 days, Bouaddi became the fourth-youngest player to start a Champions League match for City.
- Erling Haaland, who scored both City goals, called Bouaddi "a gem" in his post-match comments but jokingly noted the midfielder should have played him through in the second half.
- Manager Enzo Maresca praised Bouaddi's composure and multilingual ability, pointing to a moment against Coventry where the 18-year-old stayed calm in his own box when others might have panicked.
- Pat Nevin on BBC Radio 5 Live called Bouaddi "an absolute no-brainer" and "a class act," telling listeners he could not take his eyes off him.
- BBC Sport reported in June that City never planned to loan Bouaddi back to Lille after signing him, contrary to other media reports.
Why it matters: Manchester City staked £86m — a Premier League teenage transfer record — on Bouaddi as a long-term Rodri replacement, and his composed Porto performance, with near-perfect passing and the most duels contested on the pitch, immediately eased early scrutiny over the size of the fee for an 18-year-old midfielder.
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