An Arsenal academy coach has heaped praise on 14-year-old Gunners wonderkid Max Dowman, comparing him to former Ballon d'Or winner Kaka and backing him to pull on the England shirt one day.
Born on New Year's Eve 2009 - three years after Arsenal made the move to the Emirates Stadium - Dowman is already regarded as the latest gem to emerge from the club's famed Hale End academy ranks.
Despite his tender age, Dowman was promoted to the Under-18 ranks for the 2023-24 season, where he is working under the wing of ex-Arsenal midfielder and current youth coach Jack Wilshere.
Further down the academy ranks, Gustavo Oliveira works as an assistant coach for Arsenal products from Under-9 to Under-14 level, and the Brazilian said in an interview with PL Brasil that Dowman has a bit of the Kaka about him.
"He plays in Kaka's style. You can write his name down. One day, he will play for England and in the Premier League," Oliveira told the publication.
Dowman compared to Kaka after breaking continental record
The 14-year-old - who primarily plays as a number 10 but is also comfortable in a deeper midfield role and on the wing - scored two goals and provided five assists in seven Under-18 Premier League games last season, and he has already made history in 2024-25.
Dowman started and scored in a 4-1 defeat to Atalanta BC in the UEFA Youth League in September, becoming the youngest-ever player to score in the competition as he broke Youssoufa Moukoko's record.
Dowman has also scored two goals and provided two assists in five Under-18 Premier League matches in the current campaign, sending tongues wagging with a double in a 3-2 comeback win over Birmingham City on October 5.
On that day, Arsenal's Under-18s fell 2-0 down in the first 30 minutes, before Dowman pulled one back on the stroke of half time and subsequently scored a dramatic 97th-minute winner.
An England Under-17 international, Dowman scored on his debut for Neil Ryan's side, a penalty to break the deadlock in a 5-0 friendly win over Mexico on September 4.
What has Wilshere said about Arsenal's 'new Kaka'?
Speaking back in April, when Dowman was just starting to make waves for the Under-18s, Wilshere - who followed a similar path in North London - insisted that a player's age did not matter if they show their qualities on the pitch.
"There's always a concern when fielding such a young player in these matches, but if you're good enough, you're old enough," Wilshere said. "He can be more consistent but he's only 14 and hasn't even started his GCSEs yet. We need to find a balance of letting him play and enjoy because of his age but also trying to get as much work into him as we can."
Arsenal have always prided themselves on producing the stars of tomorrow, a philosophy that was particularly important during the Arsene Wenger reign when cash was in short supply following their move to the Emirates.
Since the Frenchman's departure, Arsenal have blooded Bukayo Saka into the first team from the academy ranks to magnificent effect, while Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson are now Premier League-proven performers too.
The summer of 2024 saw Mikel Arteta lose a handful of young proteges - including Manchester United-bound Chido Obi Martin - but Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are the two latest Hale End stars to become fully-fledged first-team members.
The former still holds the record of the youngest-ever player in the Premier League, having been 15 years and 181 days old when he came off the bench against Brentford in September 2022. body check tags ::
