5 hours ago
3
Before 16th birthday
©TM/IMAGO
Max Dowman is widely regarded as the best young talent in England and the Arsenal wonderkid secured another record after making his Champions League debut against Slavia Prague. The 15-year-old has excelled at youth level, putting up incredible attacking numbers and he’s been a regular member of Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad this season.
Last week, Dowman became the youngest player to ever start for Arsenal when he was named in the line-up to face Brighton in the League Cup. That also made the England youth international the youngest ever player to start for a top five league club this century. And Dowman is now also the youngest player to ever feature in the Champions League after he was introduced for the final twenty minutes in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Slavia Prague.
Max Dowman breaks record: Youngest ever Champions League players
At 15 years, 10 months and two days, Dowman is comfortably the youngest player to feature in the most prestigious club competition in the world. The Arsenal starlet is the only starlet to debut before their 16th birthday, surpassing previous record holder Youssoufa Moukoko. The attacker debuted for Borussia Dortmund against Zenit St. Petersburg aged 16 years and 18 days.
As the graphic above illustrates, Lamine Yamal ranks third with the Barcelona superstar’s first Champions League outing arriving in the 5-0 win against Royal Antwerp in September 2023. Several famous faces feature in the top ten list, including current Manchester City star Rayan Cherki, Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans and PSG protege Warren Zaïre-Emery.
