Max Dowman Is Better Than Lamine Yamal, Claim Excited Arsenal Fans After Record-Breaker Shines Against Brighton

Max Dowman certainly got Arsenal fans excited after his record-breaking appearance in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.

The 15-year-old had previously made cameos as a substitute against Leeds United, Liverpool and Port Vale, but this was his first ever senior start for the Gunners.

Max Dowman becomes Arsenal’s youngest starter ever

Max Dowman made history in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Brighton as he became the youngest player ever to start a first-team game for Arsenal.

At the age of just 15 years and 302 days, Dowman broke the record previously held by goalkeeper Jack Porter, who was 16 years and 72 days old when he played the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers in last season’s Carabao Cup.

Youngest players ever to start for Arsenal

Player	Age	When
Max Dowman	15 years 302 days	Oct 2025
Jack Porter	16 years 72 days	Sep 2024
Cesc Fabregas	16 years 177 days	Oct 2003
Jack Wilshere	16 years 266 days	Sep 2008
Gerry Ward	16 years 321 days	Aug 1953
David O’Leary	17 years 106 days	Aug 1975
Serge Gnabry	17 years 108 days	Oct 2012
Arturo Lupoli	17 years 125 days	Oct 2004
Richie Powling	17 years 159 days	Oct 1973
Ethan Nwaneri	17 years 188 days	Sep 2024

How well did Max Dowman play against Brighton?

Max Dowman impressed with a fearless attacking display on his first senior start for Arsenal.

The teenage sensation, who started on the right side of Arsenal’s attack and stayed on the field until the 70th minute, touched the ball 34 times.

Those 34 touches included five dribbles — more than double the tally recorded by any other player. Dowman was also on the receiving end of more fouls than any other player, winning Arsenal four free-kicks.

Arsenal fans compare Max Dowman to Lamine Yamal

Max Dowman won’t be 16 until New Year’s Eve but it would be fair to say that expectations are already sky high for the Arsenal wonderkid.

Following his record-breaking appearance against Brighton, Arsenal fans rushed to social media to declare him as the next big thing.

Many even compared him to 18-year-old Barcelona and Spain superstar Lamine Yamal, who was pipped to the 2025 Ballon d’Or by Ousmane Dembele.

“Max Dowman will be better than Yamal,” proclaimed one fan on X.

Another fan went even further, claiming: “Max Dowman is better than Lamine Yamal he just doesn’t have the media hype.”

A third fan wrote: “Dowman on same level of dribbling as Yamal, if not better”, while a fourth added: “Max Dowman is literally Yamal”.

What did Mikel Arteta say about Max Dowman?

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made multiple comments about Max Dowman during his post-match media duties following Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Brighton.

Speaking after his side booked a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, where they will host Crystal Palace, Arteta told reporters: “We made 10 changes, we played players that never played together, yet we had two huge debuts for Max and Andre [Harriman-Annous]. That feeling of giving the opportunity to somebody and fulfilling a dream is unique. I’m very happy that things turned out to be very positive and we managed to win the game.”

When asked how Dowman reacted upon learning he would be starting, Arteta replied: “A tiny smile. That’s what you get with him.

“For him, everything is natural. For him, everything is ok. It’s the way he plays. I think that’s the secret, that he doesn’t make a big fuss of it. He just does what he does best, which is to play football, to play football with a lot of courage and determination.

“Today, again, he’s shown some incredible skill, some capacity to run past players at that level in the Premier League at 15. It’s something definitely special.”