Starting in Arsenal’s match against Crystal Palace on the night of May 24th, 16-year-old midfielder Max Dowman became the youngest player in history to start in the Premier League.
In that match, Max Dowman was included in the starting lineup for Arsenal’s attack by manager Mikel Arteta, just behind striker Gabriel Jesus. He was substituted in the 62nd minute by Mikel Merino.
At the age of 16 years and 144 days, Max Dowman officially became the youngest player in history to start a Premier League match. He surpassed the previous record held by Jose Baxter, who made his debut at 16 years and 198 days old for Everton in 2008.
Including this 62-minute match, Max Dowman will have played a total of 153 minutes for Arsenal in the Premier League 2025-2026 season, setting numerous records, such as becoming the youngest player to score in the Premier League, when he netted against Everton on March 14, 2026, at just 16 years and 73 days old. Five days prior to that, he also became the youngest Premier League champion in history at 16 years and 139 days old.
In addition to his records in England, Max Dowman also set a Champions League record this season as the youngest player to appear in the competition. He came off the bench in Arsenal’s 3-0 win against Slavia Prague on November 4, 2025, at the age of just 15 years and 308 days.
According to experts, Dowman is a skillful, dynamic player with a natural talent in the defensive area and the ability to penetrate opponent defenses with accurate passes.
Arsenal youth coach Gustavo Oliveira has called Dowman “the new Kaka”.