A midfielder with typical Gunners flair, the schoolboy is set to become the latest talent to come out of the club's Hale End academy
At 14, the world is both your oyster and a forbidden fruit. Your whole life is ahead of you and adolescence should be cherished, yet you can seldom enjoy the wonders of adulthood ahead. For most wannabe footballers, they're still fighting for their careers on a year-by-year basis, dreading their end-of-season reviews.
Max Dowman was born on the very last day of the 2000s. He wouldn't have been old enough to remember prime Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, or understand the significance of Sergio Aguero's title-winner, or realise how England's collapse to Iceland at Euro 2016 tore a nation apart more than the Brexit referendum. It won't be until next decade that he will be able to legally drink during a World Cup.
And yet here he is, training with the Arsenal first team and playing at several age levels up. It's probably a safe bet that he won't be told to leave the Gunners ranks anytime soon.
So who is Dowman and why is he already on the cusp of featuring for one of England's best sides? GOAL is here to take you through all you need to know…
Getty Images SportWhere it all began
Usually, this part of our NXGN profiles is reserved for the first steps of a player's life and the beginning to their career. Alas, as one of the youngest starlets to ever feature in this long-running series, Dowman is an anomaly.
There isn't much, if any at all, information about him even available to the public, such is his extreme youth. Legally, morally or otherwise, he has been protected. Dowman is currently of the age where most players write their first chapters rather than reflect on them.
So, what do actually we know about Dowman and his background? Well, it has long seemed he was destined for greatness regardless of how old he has been. When still only 13, he was called into Arsenal's Under-18 squad, who were then managed by former fan favourite Jack Wilshere. A few months later and after Dowman's 14th birthday, Wilshere admitted he was trying to "fast-track" the midfielder's development through the academy system.
"There's always a concern when fielding such a young player in these matches, but if you're good enough, you're old enough," he said. "He can be more consistent, but he's only 14 and hasn't even started his GCSEs yet. We need to find a balance of letting him play and enjoy because of his age, but also trying to get as much work into him as we can. Hopefully, we can fast-track him and when he goes over to the first team he'll be more ready."
AdvertisementGetty Images SportThe big break
Towards the back end of the 2023-24 season, Dowman was a regular in Wilshere's U18s setup and continued to mix with boys several years older and more experienced. It was at this point that he started to become the focus of media attention, a story that could no longer simply bubble away beneath the radar of modern football reporting.
In an U18 Premier League game with Fulham in which Arsenal ran out 5-2 winners, Dowman came up with four assists. To paraphrase 'Peep Show', that is indeed . There's plenty of coverage surrounding the Gunners' successful academy, but this seemed to be the fixed point in history when the hype train left the station.
It was around this time Dowman also forced his way into the England U16sside, featuring heavily in their Football Federations Cup triumph earlier in 2024. By September, the Young Lions promoted him into their U17s team.
How it's going
The 2024-25 season may turn out to be Year One for Dowman and his senior career, having already been promoted into Arsenal first-team training on several occasions amid calls for him to be handed his first senior appearance. Despite such evident promise, Dowman may yet have to wait for his debut and is only a few weeks away from being denied the opportunity to become the Premier League's first 14-year-old player, with his birthday on New Year's Eve.
Nevertheless, Dowman is thriving with the U18s domestically and U19s in the UEFA Youth League, becoming the youngest-ever scorer in the latter when he netted in a 4-1 defeat to Atalanta in September. In a more recent outing against Sporting CP, he was made a 'target' by the opposition, merely because of how well he was playing.
"Max's bravery and the way he wants the ball is similar to what Ethan [Nwaneri] is doing with the first team at the moment, in terms of the players trusting him to give him the ball and make something happen," manager Max Porter said of Dowman.
"I just felt that the referee today… I'm not usually one for talking about referees and it has no bearing on our performance or result, but I actually felt towards the end he put the players at risk in terms of protecting them. He let a lot go which meant there was no consequence. The Sporting players then began to target Max particularly because of his talent. That was really disappointing and I communicated that to the ref and his assistants at the end of the game."
Biggest strengths
What comes to your mind when you think of Arsenal's best-ever midfielders? Flair? Grace? Skills and thrills? Congratulations, you've pinpointed what Dowman is all about.
He has previously been listed at 5'7", but obviously is still growing and adapting to the ever-changing features of his body. As such, Dowman is beginning to combine the majesty of a creative dynamo with the running power and striding forcefulness of a more dominant and physical prospect.
It still takes more than technique and prowess to play several age groups up, however. Dowman has received further praise for his fearlessness both on the pitch and while taking to new surroundings. That's the kind of mentality which ought to serve him well on his ascent.
To the delight of Arsenal set-piece coach Nicolas Jover, Dowman has a wicked dead-ball delivery and is proficient at shooting from range. It's like he was made in a lab to play for this iteration of the north Londoners.
Whether starting from deep, out wide or his natural position in the hole, he too has a keen eye for goal. There's the package completer, the last piece of the puzzle for anyone who wants to live in the final third.
