Dowman could become Arsenal's youngest ever Champions League starter
Max Dowman is poised to make Arsenal history on Wednesday night. Should he start against Slavia Praha in the Champions League, the 16 year old will become Arsenal's youngest ever starter in the competition, breaking a record held by Cesc Fabregas for more than 22 years.
Fabregas made his Champions League debut as a starter against Panathinaikos on October 20, 2004, aged 17 years and 169 days. Dowman, who has often been compared to the Spaniard he is set to supersede, will be just 16 years and 308 days old when the teams meet in Czechia.
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The teenager has been serving a three match ban following his sending off against Fleetwood Town, which ruled him out of the weekend defeat to Liverpool and will keep him out of the upcoming Premier League fixtures against Hull City and Newcastle United. That suspension only applies to domestic competition, however, meaning Dowman remains free to feature against Slavia Praha.
A familiar opponent
Slavia Praha hold a special significance in Dowman's rapid rise. It was against the same Czech side last season that he became the Champions League's youngest ever appearance maker, coming off the bench at 15 years and 308 days old to beat the record previously set by Youssoufa Moukoko, who was 16 years and 18 days old when he achieved the feat for Borussia Dortmund.
Mikel Arteta spoke glowingly of Dowman's impact after that appearance. “What he's done on the pitch, he comes in the first ball, he takes people on and starts to dribble, gets a foul,” Arteta said. “That's personality, that's courage, and you cannot teach that. You have it, or you don't, and it doesn't matter what his passport says; you throw him in this context, and he's able to adapt and have a good performance. I'm really happy with that.”
A record out of reach
Even with history potentially on the cards on Wednesday, Dowman will not become the youngest starter in Champions League history outright. That record belongs to Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, who was 16 years and 83 days old when he started against Porto in a 1-0 away win back in 2023.
There is also a sense of what might have been. Dowman would likely have started Arsenal's Champions League match against Kairat Almaty last season, which would have made him just 16 years and 28 days old on January 28, enough to have given Yamal's record a serious test. An ankle injury suffered in a behind closed doors friendly against Manchester United ruled him out of that fixture.
Arsenal will discover Arteta's team selection closer to kick off, with the manager facing a decision on whether to hand Dowman another landmark night in European competition.
