Max Dowman could set a new Arsenal record that will never be broken right after his debut

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Max Dowman is expected to make his senior Arsenal debut in the upcoming season.

The Arsenal academy is one of the best in the world. Hale End has produced a number of exceptional young players over the years, and they are showing no signs of stopping.

After the emergence of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly on the big stage last season, Dowman is set to be the next youngster to make his mark in the Arsenal first team.

The teenager has the chance to do something that has never been done before.

Max Dowman could make his Arsenal debut wearing the highest possible shirt number

Max Dowman hasn’t officially been given a senior squad number just yet.

The youngster, who is still only 15 years old, has donned the number 10 shirt on multiple occasions at youth level, and he was also spotted with the number seven last term.

Aside from the academy, Dowman’s squad number at the club is 99, and Jeorge Bird has revealed that he returned to training wearing the same number this week.

If that turns out to be his official squad number for the 2025/26 season, Dowman could make history.

Arsenal have never had a player make a matchday squad with a number greater than 97 – Reuell Walters was the last to do so in the 2023/24 season.

Should Dowman make the senior squad with his squad number as 99, he will hold the record for donning the shirt with the highest number in the club’s history.

READ MORE: Who is Max Dowman? Meet the Arsenal wonderkid who has broken records and impressed Mikel Arteta

Can an Arsenal player wear the number 100 shirt next season?

It may come as a bit of a surprise to fans that no Arsenal player in the history of the club has ever worn the number 99 before.

It would be a cool record to hold if Dowman makes his senior debut with that number, and what would be even better is that his record will never be broken.

That’s because Premier League rules prohibit players from having a squad number outside of 1 to 99 – nobody is allowed to have 100 or more.

So, should Dowman make the Arsenal squad wearing the number 99 on his back, he will not just become the Arsenal player with the highest shirt number, but he can also proudly say that nobody will ever break his record – they can just match it in the future.