Haaland on the Moroccan Bouaddi: We have found a gem

After two substitute appearances with City, Bouaddi was handed his first start against Porto, catching the eye with his polished and confident performance in midfield, in an early sign that the departure of the Spaniard Rodri may not make the team feel his absence too much.

Bouaddi, aged 18 years and 341 days, became the fourth-youngest player to start a UEFA Champions League match for Manchester City.

However, the Norwegian did not forget a moment that upset him at the start of the second half; after finding himself in open space, Bouaddi opted for a different choice while the striker was making a brilliant run behind the defenders.

Haaland added jokingly, "Honestly, I think he should have passed me the ball in the second half when I was completely alone. I was a bit annoyed, so I will tell him now: you played a good game, except for that pass."

"He is a fantastic player"

His Italian coach, Enzo Maresca, said, "He is a very good player. Against Coventry, he lost two balls, and right after that he was inside our penalty area and behaving calmly. Maybe other players would have panicked, but he is 18 years old, he is a fantastic player."

He added: "Tonight he was very good. He speaks French, English, and Spanish fluently. He is different because of how mature he is. That is why the club made an effort to sign him."

Bouaddi completed 54 out of 55 passes and stood out in statistics such as the number of successful dribbles (4), ball recoveries (7 times), and contesting the most duels (13).

Former Chelsea Scottish winger Pat Nevin told BBC Radio 5 Live during the match, "His age and style of play, he looks like he was born for this."

Adding about the former French Lille player who was substituted in the 75th minute of the match, "I cannot take my eyes off him, he looks like a very special player. City fans were dreading losing Rodri. I watched Bouaddi play against Scotland in the World Cup, and he has been very impressive so far."

Questions were raised about the transfer fee (€100 million / $116 million) in a position where players might be susceptible to pressure, but Bouaddi seemed to adapt immediately and showed why he will be an important option this season.

This transfer was considered the most expensive in the history of any player moving from the French League to a foreign club.

Following a standout season with Lille, Bouaddi shone with the Moroccan national team during the World Cup, playing five matches, including the quarter-final clash where the "Atlas Lions" lost 0-2 to France.