Ethan Nwaneri was the coolest teenager on the pitch amid the sauna of Singapore’s National Stadium, at least until a team-mate three years his junior came on and whistled down the wing like a breeze.
Max Dowman is 15 years old. He will be completing his GCSEs next spring, at roughly the same time Arsenal will be learning if they are finally Premier League champions under Mikel Arteta. He could yet be juggling exam room and dressing room.
The schoolboy made his senior debut here last night and looked anything but junior, and that was before he kicked a ball.
He has height and poise and a physique that belies his youth. In short, he looks like a footballer. We soon discovered he plays like a very good one, too.
Dowman’s first involvement — against AC Milan, no less — was to beat two men and watch as his shot then went just wide. His first-team career was less than 60 seconds old at this point. It was fearless, but at the same time scary to consider this boy’s potential.
Declan Rice calls him the best 15-year-old in the country, and what the England midfielder has seen behind closed doors we enjoyed here in public.
In just a half hour cameo Max Dowman showed the world he is a boy ready for the man’s game
Ethan Nwaneri was the coolest teenager at Singapore’s national – until Dowman came along
Declan Rice (right) called his team-mate the best 15-year-old in the entire country
Dowman took a match, not a hose, to the hype that surrounds him. When you make your Under 18s debut at 13, expectation is inevitable.
You would ordinarily call his half hour during Arsenal’s 1-0 win a ‘cameo’, but this felt more like an announcement. It felt like a boy saying he is ready for the man’s game.
Dowman receives the ball with the delicacy of puck on stick, and glides as if on ice, too. When it came to a ceremonial penalty shootout, he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with a left-foot swoosh that cut through the nonsense of the convoluted attempts of his elders. The socks at half-mast spoke of his confidence and swagger without the need for a Panenka.
Nwaneri’s first-half showreel was a distant memory by this point, but it should not be. He does not look 18 and nor does he play 18. If anything, his new shirt number, 22, would be a better guess of his age if not knowing otherwise.
The England Under 21 forward was used at No 10 but caused havoc left, right and centre. Indeed, Milan defender Strahinja Pavlovic would rather Nwaneri had not drifted right at one point in the first half. He thought he had the Arsenal youngster trapped against the touchline.
It was Nwaneri setting the trap and, with a piece of skill akin to escapology, he made a statue of his opponent before fleeing into the penalty area.
There was very quickly another moment of magic, a snap turn on the edge of the box that sent Christian Pulisic for the half-time noodles. His shot, a crisp half-volley, was turned behind by Milan keeper Pietro Terracciano.
But it was Dowman who Arteta was asked about first after the victory, secured thanks to Bukayo Saka’s second-half goal.
England Under 21 forward Nwaneri was used at No 10 but caused havoc left, right and centre
Mikel Arteta also gave a debut to 15-year-old Marli Salmon (left) against AC Milan
Next year’s World Cup will come far too soon for Dowman – but Euro 2028 will not
‘I’m happy with all the kids,’ he said, after also giving a debut to centre back Marli Salmon, another 15-year-old.
‘I think they are able to play at that level at 15 because of the environment and culture within the team. It gives you the best chance, but then you have to have the qualities this kid (Dowman) has to deliver against opposition like this.’
There was also praise for Nwaneri and, while this may sound like the hottest of summer takes, he looked like a player set for the World Cup next summer. That tournament will come too soon for Dowman, but Euro 2028 will not.
Before all of that, both players have a title to contend for with Arsenal. They might just play a bigger part than anyone expected.
