Max Dowman came on as a substitute for Arsenal in their game against Sporting CP in the Champions League.
The teenager was the Gunners’ best player in their previous game, which was the FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton at St Mary’s.
An argument could’ve been made for Dowman to start on the right wing in Bukayo Saka’s absence, but Noni Madueke got the nod instead.
However, the 16-year-old was introduced in the second half, and he made Champions League history.
🚨 Who played the biggest role in Arsenal’s 1-0 win vs Sporting?
Max Dowman breaks Lamine Yamal’s Champions League record during Sporting CP vs Arsenal
Lamine Yamal burst onto the scene at Barcelona as a 16-year-old and took the world by storm.
The Spaniard has been incredible for club and country over the years and is viewed by many as one of the best players in the world today.
Back in February 2024, when Barcelona faced Napoli in the round of 16 of the Champions League, Yamal became the youngest player in history to make an appearance in the knockout stage of the competition.
He was 16 years and 223 days old at the time.
On Tuesday night, Max Dowman stepped onto the pitch at the age of 16 years and 97 days, thus making him the new record holder.
Mikel Arteta brought him on for the last 14 minutes of the game, when the score was still 0-0 and Arsenal were hoping to take the lead.
Dowman couldn’t do what he did against Everton in March – play a big role in one goal and score the other – but he impressed.
The Arsenal academy star has a massive future ahead of him, and we will not be surprised at all if he goes on to become a superstar like Yamal.
How closely do you think Max Dowman will follow in Lamine Yamal’s footsteps?
Mikel Arteta said Max Dowman was ‘very close’ to starting vs Sporting
If it were up to many Arsenal fans, Dowman would’ve started against Sporting CP on Tuesday night.
The 16-year-old was better than everyone else when the Gunners faced Southampton in the FA Cup, and the way he plays is a joy to watch.
Before the game in Portugal, Arteta was asked by Amazon Prime Video Sport how close Dowman actually was to starting the game.
The Arsenal manager replied: “He was very close because he’s doing so many good things.
“But we need to remember as well that he just played 90 minutes three days ago, and we have to make sure that we have to use him when he is ready.”
It now remains to be seen if Dowman will get his first Premier League start in the game against Bournemouth on Saturday.
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