  Extended steep-spectrum radio emission in a galaxy cluster is usually
associated with a recent merger. However, given the complex scenario of galaxy
cluster mergers, many of the discovered sources hardly fit into the strict
boundaries of a precise taxonomy. This is especially true for radio phoenixes
that do not have very well defined observational criteria. Radio phoenixes are
aged radio galaxy lobes whose emission is reactivated by compression or other
mechanisms. Here, we present the detection of a radio phoenix close to the
moment of its formation. The source is located in Abell 1033, a peculiar galaxy
cluster which underwent a recent merger. To support our claim, we present
unpublished Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope and Chandra observations
together with archival data from the Very Large Array and the Sloan Digital Sky
Survey. We discover the presence of two sub-clusters displaced along the N-S
direction. The two sub-clusters probably underwent a recent merger which is the
cause of a moderately perturbed X-ray brightness distribution. A steep-spectrum
extended radio source very close to an AGN is proposed to be a newly born radio
phoenix: the AGN lobes have been displaced/compressed by shocks formed during
the merger event. This scenario explains the source location, morphology,
spectral index, and brightness. Finally, we show evidence of a density
discontinuity close to the radio phoenix and discuss the consequences of its
presence.
