Mikel Arteta believes Max Dowman’s personality and courage on the pitch is unteachable – after the 15-year-old made history to become the youngest-ever Champions League player.
Dowman was introduced as a substitute in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Slavia Prague in the Champions League – becoming the first player of his age to play in Europe’s premier club competition at 15 years and 308 days old.
It came six days after he became Arsenal’s youngest-ever starter in a dazzling Carabao Cup display against Brighton.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Watch the best bits of Dowman’s full debut for Arsenal against Brighton in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup
In the Czech Republic, Dowman immediately won a foul off a defender after his first touches of the ball and the Arsenal manager says age is just a number when it comes to the forward.
“What he’s done on the pitch – he comes in, the first ball he takes is he takes people on, he starts to dribble and gets a foul,” said Arteta.
“That’s personality, that’s courage – and you cannot teach that. You have it or you don’t.
Dowman is the Champions League’s first 15-year-old player
“And it doesn’t matter what his passport says. You throw him in this context and he is able to adapt and have a good performance.”
Next Up: Inside the rise of Dowman
“Ball-carrying has been his super strength all the way through,” former Arsenal academy coach Temisan Williams – now founder of Coach Accelerator Masterclass Community – told Sky Sports.
“I got to coach Max for the whole season when he was an U11s player and right from the get-go I was like: ‘Okay, there’s something very special about this young man’.”
Dowman is now the most talked-about teenager in Europe. He ticked off his first-team and then competitive debuts in a matter of weeks in August – now he is taking his game to the Champions League.
All this sparks the question: How far can he go? And how quickly?
“Champions League, World Cup, Premier League,” says Williams. “He’s got all the capabilities; he’s got the mentality. Mikel Arteta wouldn’t bring him into the fold at that age if he didn’t.”
There can be little doubt anymore – Max Dowman is Next Up.
Read more on Max Dowman’s development in the Arsenal academy here.
