Bouaddi's 98% passing masterclass steers Manchester City to 2-0 win in Porto

Ayyoub Bouaddi announced himself on the Champions League stage for Manchester City with a composed, metronomic midfield display as Enzo Maresca’s side defeated Porto 2-0 at the Dragao Stadium on Tuesday night. The 18-year-old, signed for £81 million, completed 55 passes at a match-high 98.2% accuracy in his full debut for the club.

The occasion carried a certain symmetry. Bouaddi made his senior European debut in the Faroe Islands at 16, playing for Lille in a Conference League tie against KI — a club forced to host home matches on a different island because their own ground failed UEFA standards. The crowd barely topped 2,000. Three days after his 16th birthday, he became the youngest player to feature in any UEFA men’s club competition.

His ascent since has been rapid. A year on from that Faroe Islands fixture, Bouaddi marked his 17th birthday with a performance against Real Madrid that earned him a standing ovation from the Lille crowd as the French side stunned the Spaniards 1-0. “This game changed everything,” he later told L’Equipe. The changes have now brought him to Manchester City.

Maresca paired Bouaddi with Enzo Fernandez in central midfield for the Porto assignment, and the teenager looked entirely at ease. He led all players in touches in the opening quarter, showed sharp positional instincts to cut out a Porto attack in the 17th minute, and won the ball high up the pitch in a move that ended with Erling Haaland heading over. One incisive pass into the box created two quick chances for Haaland and Rayan Cherki, both well saved by Diogo Costa.

At half-time, Bouaddi had completed all 39 of his 39 passes — the only player on the pitch with a perfect success rate. He was withdrawn with 15 minutes remaining, by which point his final tally read 55 passes and that 98.2% accuracy figure.

Maresca had urged patience with his young signing earlier in the season. “He’s quite calm. He doesn’t look 18, he looks mature. We need to go slowly because he is very young,” the City manager said. “It is my job and from the club to try to manage him in the best way, don’t put pressure on him.”

Tuesday night suggested the pressure, when it does come, will not trouble Bouaddi much. The performance was not without imperfection — City lost their shape somewhat after taking the lead as Porto raised their intensity and the crowd grew increasingly agitated by refereeing decisions — but for a first start at a hostile Dragao in front of nearly 50,000, it was a statement of considerable substance.