Arsenal supporters have been treated to some incredible goals over the last 12 months.
Eberechi Eze alone has produced enough screamers to fill a highlight reel. His strikes against Tottenham were unforgettable, while his goals against Crystal Palace and Newcastle United showcased exactly why Arsenal fought so hard to sign him.
Many fans would argue that Eze’s sensational effort against Bayer Leverkusen was the best of the lot.
However, when it came to the club’s official Goal of the Season award, another Arsenal star ended up taking home the prize.
Agree or disagree: Eberechi Eze just scored Arsenal’s goal of the season
Max Dowman wins the Arsenal Goal of the Season award
For all the brilliance produced by Arsenal’s senior stars, it was one of the club’s youngest players who captured supporters’ imagination more than anyone else.
Max Dowman has enjoyed a remarkable breakthrough year and already looks like one of the most exciting talents English football has produced in a long time.
The Arsenal academy graduate’s Goal of the Season-winning strike against Everton perfectly demonstrated why the hype around him is so intense.
Picking the ball up deep inside his own half, Dowman drove forward with purpose, beat a series of challenges and carried the ball virtually the entire length of the pitch before calmly finding the net.
It was a goal packed with confidence, technical quality and composure beyond his years.
The strike also made history.
Dowman became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history, adding even more significance to a moment that Arsenal supporters are unlikely to forget anytime soon.
Given the quality of the goals he was competing against, winning the award is an incredible achievement for the teenager.
How closely do you think Max Dowman will follow in Lamine Yamal’s footsteps?
Eberechi Eze won’t mind losing the award to Max Dowman
If there is one player who will not be losing any sleep over the result, it is Eze.
The Arsenal midfielder certainly had a strong case of his own. His thunderbolt against Bayer Leverkusen remains the goal of the season in many supporters’ eyes, while several of his other strikes would have been worthy winners in different years.
However, football is about more than individual awards.
Eze arrived at Arsenal and immediately helped the club win the Premier League title while also playing a huge role in their run to the Champions League final. Those achievements will mean far more to him than any goal competition.
There is also something fitting about Dowman winning it.
Arsenal’s future looks incredibly bright, and seeing one of the club’s own academy stars produce a moment of magic that captures the imagination of supporters is exactly the sort of thing everyone at the Emirates wants to see.
Eze’s goals may have been spectacular, but even he would probably agree that watching a teenager announce himself in such dramatic fashion is a story worth celebrating.
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