Moroccan star Ayyoub Bouaddi came off the bench in the second half of Manchester City's match against Paris Saint-Germain and impressed everyone all over again with his maturity and his impact on the English side's performance.
City lost 4-2 on Wednesday evening at the Etihad Stadium in the second round of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League, yet the young midfielder embodied their strong comeback. After an outstanding display against Porto in his first match of the competition, he confirmed he is a special player.
French network "Foot Mercato" praised the promising Moroccan star, who was impressive in the second half at the Etihad.
"It took Ayyoub Bouaddi only a few minutes to bring about a qualitative shift in Manchester City's performance," they wrote. "After coming on in the second half of his team's match against Paris Saint-Germain, while City were three goals down, the young midfielder, who celebrated his 19th birthday a few days ago, delivered a world-class performance despite his side's 4-2 defeat."
They added: "Thanks to his energy, his technical precision and his ability to lead the team, the Moroccan international generally embodied City's second-half revival. The former Lille player proved once again that he already possesses the ability to shine in the biggest European matches."
"From the moment he came on, Bouaddi, who replaced the disappointing Rayan Cherki, brought the energy and control that Manchester City's midfield had lacked in the first half," the report continued. "Thanks to his more dynamic movement, Enzo Maresca's men regained their fluidity in possession and had more options to unsettle the Paris Saint-Germain defence. The Moroccan midfielder quickly established himself as a valuable link, able to keep the ball under pressure as well as play intelligently in attack."
His impact showed itself clearly in the 75th minute. Bouaddi picked out Erling Haaland with a perfectly weighted cross and the Norwegian striker buried his second of the match.
That display confirms the promise he showed in the Champions League opener against Porto. Making his first start for Manchester City in the competition, Bouaddi impressed everyone with his composure, his maturity and the accuracy of his passing in a 2-0 win.
Praise poured in for the young Moroccan, particularly from his manager and his team-mates. Against Paris Saint-Germain, in far tougher circumstances, he proved that first appearance was no passing flash. He started on the bench and still bent the course of the match to show his full potential.
Three goals down, Manchester City could not pull off the stunning upset. Bouaddi's cameo will still go down as one of the most notable strengths of Enzo Maresca's European night.
"Foot Mercato" handed the Moroccan international (10 international caps) a rating of 7 out of 10 for a flawless display: he won 100% of his duels, his passing accuracy reached 93% and, most importantly, he recovered the ball 8 times, the highest individual figure in the match, level with Vitinha, but in only 45 minutes.
Their report signed off: "This defeat highlights Manchester City's current weaknesses, but it may also represent another step in the journey of a promising talent who has not yet finished making headlines."