Arsenal hotshot Max Dowman breaks Champions League record days after EPL scoring feat
By Luke Oluoch, April 8, 2026Arsenal youngster Max Dowman has marked a historical achievement by becoming the youngest player to feature in a Champions League quarter-final clash during Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.
Aged 16 and 97 days old, Dowman was introduced in the quarter-final knockout clash at Estádio José Alvalade, breaking the record held by Lamine Yamal of Barcelona
Record breaker
The youngster was in contention for a first Champions League start after making Mike Arteta’s team for the trip to Portugal. He, however, contended for a place on the bench before entering the fray as a record-breaking 76th-minute substitute in Tuesday’s quarterfinal first leg in Lisbon.
The kid prodigy was on the pitch when Kai Havertz scored a 91st-minute winner at the Estadio José Alvalade, giving Mikel Arteta’s side a 1-0 lead to work with in next week’s return leg in North London.
With the late win, Gunners avoided defeat in the first leg of their last nine European Cup/Champions League quarterfinal ties.
They will now turn their focus back to their Premier League title bid, with Arteta’s charges set to take on Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Record-breaking teenage
Other records the youngster has broken this season include a historic moment in the Champions League in November’s 3-0 win over Slavia Prague.
On that occasion, Dowman became the youngest player to feature in the Champions League with his substitute appearance in the Czech Republic.
On the domestic front, he became the youngest English goal scorer at the age of 16 when he inspired Arsenal to a late victory against Everton on Sunday, March 14, 2026.
2005 record
During the clash, he capitalised on a rare counterattack situation with Everton goalie Jordan Pickford stranded upfield, beating two defenders before racing away to roll the ball into an empty net and spark wild scenes inside Emirates Stadium.
The goal saw him smash the record set by Everton’s James Vaughan in 2005, as the Gunners moved 10 points clear of second-placed Manchester City.