Max Douman closed his eyes and looked up at the sky. He then leaned down, swiping the grass with his hand and ran into the field.
At a tender age of 15 and 235 days, Douman was officially a Premier League player. Leeds 5-0 win Saturday.
His 64-minute entrance may have produced the biggest cheers of the night at Emirates Stadium. That’s because in Douman, Arsenal fans know they have a good outlook in their hands seriously.
So does his manager.
“I have a child here who has no hesitation and is very certain at age 15 that he has never seen in my life.
“For us, he brings joy and he brings the emotions and something else that make our work so great.”
There are a few things you need to know about Doman. Dowman is wearing braces and the biggest struggle is to create a mustache rather than face a grown man.
Douman’s back
ground
Born in Chelmsford, a city in Essex County, northeast of London, Douman joined Arsenal in May 2015 at the age of five. He made his debut at Arsenal under 18 at age 13 and became the youngest goals scorer in the UEFA Youth League, where he played under 19 at age 14.
Douman was only 14 when Arteta asked him to train with Arsenal’s senior team last December.
He is a left-footed offensive midfielder, who likes to play on the right and drift inside. Just ask Leeds. In one of the dribbles that were cut off from the right, he scored a stop time penalty converted by Viktor Gyoker to complete a 5-0 thrashing.
Is he the youngest Premier League player?
There is not at all.
Douman is second on the all-time best list, only behind Arsenal player Ethan Nuwaneri. It was 15 years and 181 days when he came in as a replacement. For Brentford in September 2022. Nuwaneri is also a left-footed attack midfielder.
Only three players under the age of 16 participated in the Premier League. The other was Jeremy Monga, who played for Leicester in 15 and 271 days last season. As Leicester’s jerseys are sponsored by an online cryptocurrency gaming platform, Monga had to wear a shirt without a sponsor.
Douman’s International Position
He played for England’s under 16 teams last year, and was selected as under 17 at the European Championships for his age performance in Albania in May, becoming the youngest scorer in the sport online against the Czech Republic.
Douman started all three of the England group games, but the team did not advance.
The Champions League is waiting
Dowman turns 16 on December 31st, and he will then be allowed to play in the Champions League. In that case, if Arteta chooses to call him, he will be in time for the knockout stage in February.
The UEFA regulations state: “A 16-year-old player can be registered on List B if he has been registered with a participating club for the past two years without interruption,” Dowman is qualified in that respect.
The youngest player featured in the Champions League is Youthfafam Coco, a striker who played for Borussia Dortmund in a group stage game against Zenit St. Petersburg in December 2020, 18 days after his 16th birthday.
Yamal was 16 years and 68 days when he made his Champions League debut at Antwerp in September 2023.
Here’s what Arsenal says about him
Arteta isn’t the only one who’s made Douman bigger.
“I think everyone can see the possibilities he has,” Arsenal defender Julien Timber said after the Leeds game. “You play against a grown man. He’s a joy to see. He’s a joy to see, even for the crowd.”
In March, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice described Dowman as “unrealistic,” but said, “You can be the best 15 in the country, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re 18.
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Geneva’s AP sports writer Graham Dunbar contributed to this story.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
