.jpg) Dowman withArsenal in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (2009-12-31)31 December 2009 (age 15) | ||
| Place of birth | Chelmsford, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder,winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Arsenal | ||
| Number | 56 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2015– | Arsenal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2025– | Arsenal | 2 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024 | England U16 | 5 | (0) |
| 2024– | England U17 | 16 | (5) |
| 2025– | England U19 | 8 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:26, 31 August 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 01:29, 19 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Max Dowman (born 31 December 2009) is an Englishfootballer who plays as anattacking midfielder or awinger forPremier League clubArsenal.
Dowman was born on 31 December 2009 inChelmsford, Essex.[2] He grew up in a family ofArsenal supporters.[3]
Dowman joined theyouth academy ofArsenal in 2015,[4] following time in the youth set-up atBillericay Town.[5] He started playing with theirArsenal U18s in September 2023 at the age of 13.[6][7] On 19 September 2024, Dowman scored in the Arsenal U19'sUEFA Youth League match againstAtalanta at the age of 14 years, eight months, and 19 days. He therefore became the youngest goal-scorer in thecompetition's history.[8][9][10] In December 2024, after becoming the youngest everPremier League 2 player at 14 years old,[11] he began training with the first team,[12] with the intention to become part of the first-team squad during the2025–26 season.[citation needed]
On 23 July 2025, he made his first-team debut in a pre-season friendly againstAC Milan aged 15 years old in Singapore.[13] On 23 August, Dowman made hisPremier League debut, coming on as a substitute for Arsenal in the 64th minute of their match againstLeeds United, becoming the second youngest player in the league's history at 15 years and 235 days, behind only his teammate,Ethan Nwaneri.[14] He won apenalty for his team in the third minute ofstoppage time, helping Arsenal score their fifth goal in a 5–0 victory over Leeds United.[15] Owing to his age, he is obliged to be chaperoned whilst with the team and is not allowed to change in the main dressing room under FA safeguarding regulations.[16]
On 29 October 2025, Dowman becameArsenal’s youngest ever starter when he was named in thestartingXI for the fourth round of theEFL Cup 2025–26 againstBrighton at theEmirates Stadium, aged 15 years and 302 days, breaking the previous club record set by goalkeeperJack Porter (16 years and 72 days).[17][18] He played approximately 71 minutes, being substituted in the 71st minute forBukayo Saka, asArsenal secured a 2–0 victory to advance to the quarter‑finals.[19] During the match, Dowman stood out for his dribbling, courage and composure, drawing praise from managerMikel Arteta who noted that "For him, everything is natural, for him everything is OK. It is the way he plays. That's the secret, that he doesn't make a big fuss of it. He just does what he does best which is to play football with a lot of courage and determination."[20]
On 4 November 2025, he appeared as a 72nd minute substitute during Arsenal's 3-0 victory againstSlavia Prague in the league phase of the2025–26 UEFA Champions League, becoming the youngest player to appear in the competition at 15 years and 308 days old, surpassing the previous record set byYoussoufa Moukoko who was 16 years and 18 days old when he made his UCL debut.[21][22]
Dowman made hisEngland U16 andEngland U17 debuts in 2024.[23] He was included in the squad for the2025 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[24] He featured as a starter in all three of England's games, including a 4–2 win against theCzech Republic, where he scored the opening goal.[25]
Dowman made hisEngland U19 debut during a 2–0 win overUkraine atPinatar Arena on 3 September 2025.[26] Dowman became the youngest-ever goalscorer for the England U19 side, beatingRyan Sessegnon's record from 2016, in a 7–0 win againstWales.[27]
Comfortable playing in a number of positions, Dowman has been used as anattacking midfielder and as a traditional '10' for Arsenal's youth teams, but can also play as aright winger. He is skilful, energetic and naturally gifted in the final third and is able to cut defences with a precise and accurate pass.[7][28] Technically, Dowman's set-piece delivery stands out. He's already been entrusted with corner and free-kick duties at youth level.[29] Arsenal youth team coach Gustavo Oliveira labelled Dowman the "nextKaká".[30]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Arsenal | 2025–26[31] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |
| Career total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
