Arsenal midfielder Max Dowman

Arsenal midfielder Max Dowman has become one of the most promising midfielders in world football. 

He is breaking out this season, with Mikel Arteta beginning to play him more and more often, and aged just 15, the English midfielder has been tipped to become one of the world’s best, and based on his current development, there is no reason why he can’t.

Furthermore, Dowman is very versatile, he can play as a central-midfielder, attacking midfielder or even a winger for both the Arsenal youth teams, and England youth teams. Dowman seems to be the next breakout star after Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

But how did his meteoric rise happen so quickly?

Dowman’s development in the Arsenal youth teams

The midfielder was born in Chelmsford on New Year’s Eve in 2009, and it didn’t take him long to take to football. Aged just six, Dowman joined Arsenal’s youth academy following a period in the youth setup at local team Billericay Town.

Dowman made his debut for Arsenal U18s in September 2023, aged just 13, meaning he was playing against players who were five years older than him, and still standing out!

He made seven appearances for the U18s, scoring two goals, and providing five assists, and so it didn’t take long for Dowman to get a promotion to appear for the U19s.

In September 2024, Dowman became the youngest goal scorer in the UEFA Youth League, aged 14 – he made four appearances for the U19s in the competition.

After that, Dowman continues to feature in the U18s Premier League, where he scored 15 goals in 15 games, with five assists too. After showing his incredible form in the U18s team, Dowman only needed one game in the U21s before he made his first squad appearance for the first team.

In July 2025, he made his debut for the first team, in a pre-season game against AC Milan, and on August 23, Dowman made his Premier League debut aged 15, making him the second-youngest Premier League player in history, behind fellow Gunner Nwaneri.

Click here to see Arsenal’s first team squad with individual profiles for every player.