Sports · 9 September 2026

Man City's £86m teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi impresses on first Champions League start

Bryan Berlin via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ayyoub Bouaddi, the 18-year-old midfielder, showed maturity beyond his years in his first Champions League start for Manchester City. City's acquisition of him from Lille for £86m established him as the Premier League's priciest teenager. Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin called Bouaddi "very special" after his assured performance in the 2-0 win over Porto.

By BriefTea Editorial · 9 September 2026 at 5:55

Reported by BBC · How we write briefs

Get the app

Understand this story

What is the Champions League? What's a midfielder's job? Who is Pat Nevin?

More briefs

SportsHamilton fastest in final US Grand Prix practice, ahead of Verstappen and Leclerc SportsTottenham beat 10-man Chelsea 2-0 as Palmer is sent off SportsDalton Smith Keeps WBC World Title in Sheffield SportsVolkanovski Keeps UFC Title as Petr Yan Beats Merab Again SportsCarrick Admits Man United Have 'Lost Our Way' SportsLewis Hamilton Wants to Race Into 2030s for African Grand Prix More sports stories → Browse all stories →