La Derecha Diario Max Dowman, the young Arsenal prospect who humiliated Heinze and is already being compared to Messi
The young Englishman surprises both insiders and outsiders in his first matches with the London team's first squad
Arsenal has one of the brightest prospects of the moment. Max Robert Dowman, born in Chelmsford in 2009, is only 15 years old and already draws admiration from legends like Rio Ferdinand and his own coach, Mikel Arteta.
In recent hours, the young player once again demonstrated his quality during a training session, when he left Gabriel Heinze on the ground, Arteta's assistant coach and former defender of the Argentina National Team, after a collision in the box, then finished with composure.
Dowman deja en el piso a Heinze
The play recalled his outstanding performance in preseason friendlies, where he had already drawn comparisons to Lamine Yamal or even Lionel Messi in their early appearances with Barcelona.
Dowman holds an impressive record: he is the youngest goalscorer in Youth League history, at 14 years and 263 days. His breakthrough into the first team has shifted attention even away from the six signings who arrived in this transfer window (Zubimendi, Gyökeres, Madueke, Mosquera, Norgaard, and Kepa) and has forced the coaching staff to rethink the management of young talents at the club.
In the 1-0 win against Milan, he played 24 minutes in which the Italian defense could not stop his dribbling and speed while playing on his opposite foot. Rio Ferdinand was effusive in his praise: "Why are we in football? To be excited and entertained. They're players who make you get out of your seat and say 'Ohhh, give me more of that'".
"I already spoke about him in November: Max Dowman. Don't forget his name. He's the best 15-year-old player in England, probably in Europe, and maybe in the world," he added.
His influence was repeated against Newcastle, coming on for Saka and winning the penalty that sealed the 3-2 for the Gunners. Mikel Arteta also joined in the praise: "He's special. What he did against Newcastle, at his age, is something unusual. We're very happy to have him with us".
Although he won't be able to break Ethan Nwaneri's record as the youngest debutant in Premier League history (15 years and 181 days), the consensus is clear: the future of English football could have in Max Dowman its next great reference point.
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