The midfielder became a key figure for Morocco at this summer’s World Cup before Manchester City paid £86 million to bring him from Lille. The transfer made him the most expensive teenager in Premier League history.
After coming off the bench in City’s opening two appearances, Bouaddi was given his first start against Porto. The 18 year old looked comfortable as City secured a 2 to 0 victory.
Erling Haaland received much of the attention after scoring both goals, but Bouaddi impressed in central midfield with a composed and confident display. His performance offered early encouragement that City could cope following Rodri’s departure.
Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin praised the teenager during BBC Radio 5 Live’s coverage.
Nevin highlighted Bouaddi’s age, confidence and ability, saying he looked naturally suited to the level. He also recalled watching him represent Scotland at the World Cup and said the midfielder had already made a strong impression.
At 18 years and 341 days old, Bouaddi became the fourth youngest player to start a Champions League match for Manchester City.
There had been questions about City spending such a large amount on a teenager for a position where mistakes can be punished, but Bouaddi has quickly shown why the club considers him an important option.
Manager Enzo Maresca also praised his performance. He pointed to Bouaddi’s calm response after losing possession against Coventry and said that the teenager showed impressive composure rather than allowing mistakes to affect him.
Maresca also highlighted Bouaddi’s ability to communicate in French, English and Spanish and said his maturity was one of the reasons City were willing to make such a significant investment.
BBC Sport had reported City’s interest in Bouaddi in June. Despite reports suggesting the club could sign him and immediately send him back to Lille on loan, sources indicated that such an arrangement was not being considered.
His display in Portugal provided further evidence of why people at City believe Bouaddi has the qualities needed to develop into a world class player. He also appears comfortable performing on major European occasions.
Two years ago, Bouaddi received a standing ovation from Lille supporters after helping the French club secure an unexpected group stage victory against defending champions Real Madrid. City supporters in Portugal appeared equally impressed by his performance on Tuesday.
Bouaddi completed 54 of his 55 passes. He also recorded the highest figures among players from both teams for successful dribbles with four, possessions won with seven and duels contested with 13.
Haaland was also impressed by his young teammate. The striker said Bouaddi had performed extremely well in training over the previous weeks and described him as a potential gem for City.
However, Haaland also joked that Bouaddi still had room for improvement. The Norwegian felt the midfielder should have played him through during the second half and admitted he was frustrated that the pass did not arrive.
Despite that complaint, Haaland praised Bouaddi’s overall display and made it clear that the missed opportunity was the only part of the performance he wanted to criticise.