Arsenal announced their UEFA Champions League squad for the 2025–26 campaign on Wednesday and one name caught everyone‘s eyes: Max Dowman.
The 15-year-old Hale End product was named in Arsenal‘s List A squad for the competition. Dowman gets the opportunity to play on the biggest stage in European football, just as Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri did last season when they established themselves as first-team regulars.
Dowman had been garnering attention last season in the youth ranks, but was chosen to travel with Arsenal for their preseason festivities. After impressing against Newcastle United, the 15-year-old received his first Premier League appearance off the bench against Leeds United in Gameweek 2. Dowman won a penalty in the second half which Viktor Gyökeres dispatched for his second of the day.
Dowman, listed as a midfielder, has operated on the right flank in place of Bukayo Saka so far this summer. He’s been praised for his technical quality and dribbling with big names like Rio Ferdinand already calling him a top talent.
If Dowman appears in a game before Dec. 31, his birthday, he would be the first 15-year-old to appear in the Champions League. There are no age restrictions in the competition with Youssoufa Moukoko holding the record for youngest debutant when he played for Borussia Dortmund in 2020. At the time, Moukoko was 16-years-old.
By naming Dowman to the team, manager Mikel Arteta must believe in what he has in the player. While Europa League and Conference League games have historically been competitions where clubs can play fringe and academy talent, the Champions League usually features first-team talent.
With spotlight league phase games against Atlético Madrid, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, perhaps Arsenal targets the home game against Olympiacos for Dowman’s debut if he is to take hold of that record. At minimum, even if it’s after his birthday, there’s valuable experience waiting for the talented teenager.
Plus, Arteta hasn’t been shy in the past with giving academy talent opportunities. The Spanish boss notably gave Nwaneri his Premier League debut three seasons ago, a debut which still stands as the youngest appearance by a player in the league’s history.
