Mikel Arteta has faced some pushback on his recent comments about Max Dowman, but the Arsenal manager was right to suggest that what the 16-year-old is doing is unique.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s game against Everton, Mikel Arteta was asked about how much harder it is for a player like Max Dowman to break through at 16 years old in England, compared to other leagues in France, Spain, and so on.
“Well, tell me how many 16-year-olds have played in the last hundred years at this level,” Arteta said. “It’s simple, there aren’t any, zero. There isn’t a single player. That’s why he’s unique.”
The reporter then put forward Wayne Rooney, to which Arteta responded: “But every three days, I’m playing Champions League, I’m playing… It wasn’t. So that’s the level.”
Many on social media have suggested that Dowman’s appearances aren’t unique, because Rooney also played in the Premier League at 16, along with Aaron Lennon. But there are significant differences between Dowman’s situation and theirs.
As Arteta points out, the primary difference is that Dowman is also playing in the Champions League, and the FA Cup, and the League Cup.
Rooney played 10 senior games in all competitions before his 17th birthday, and Lennon played 13. But Dowman has played 17 times already, including four Champions League appearances to Rooney and Lennon’s zero.
That comparison also ignores that Dowman isn’t 17 yet. He was exactly 16 and 297 days old when he made his 17th Arsenal appearance on Saturday. At 16 and 297 days old, Rooney made his Everton debut against Tottenham Hotspur. So at exactly the same age, Dowman is 16 games ahead.
Looking at the Premier League alone, Dowman still has a little bit more to do before he can take the overall record. Rooney played nine times before turning 17, and Lennon played 10 times. Dowman is at eight appearances.
But again, Dowman has more than two months before his 17th birthday, and he only needs to make two appearances to match the Premier League record, or three to take it outright.
When you include the Champions League, and the fact Dowman is playing for the Premier League champions (not Everton or Leeds United), Arteta is absolutely correct. No one has done what the Arsenal teenager is doing.
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