Rio Ferdinand Hails Arsenal's 15-Year-Old 'Joke' Talent Max Dowman

Rio Ferdinand has been left in awe of Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman following the teenager’s pre-season display against AC Milan . Manchester United legend Ferdinand named him as the best 15-year-old talent in the world , while stating: “He is a joke”.

Those affiliated with Arsenal will be well aware of the phenomenal talent Dowman possesses, having tracked his progress through the youth team ranks. Despite his tender age, the left-footed attacking-midfielder has been fast-tracked into the first team , training with the Gunners’ senior squad from the beginning of this year.

Dowman was part of the squad Mikel Arteta took to Spain for a training camp last week and, on Wednesday, came off the bench at the 65-minute mark to face AC Milan during the team’s pre-season game in Singapore.

The England U17s sensation played in the right wing position, looking sharp and comfortable whenever in possession while scoring Arsenal’s sixth penalty in a pre-arranged penalty shootout. His scintillating cameo sent a clear message that he’s ready to be called upon by Arteta when the 2025/26 gets underway.

Former TNT Sports pundit Ferdinand is one of many to jump on the Dowman hype train, having been left dazzled by what he’s seen so far. He said on Rio Ferdinand Presents : “There’s a different energy about me when I’m talking about young players. Young players that get you off your seat. Who you watch and you just go, ‘Ooh, give me some more of that’.

“I spoke about him in November by the way, Max Dowman, don’t forget that name guys. Hale End at Arsenal have produced another young gem. They’ve got Ethan Nwaneri already and Bukayo Saka who’s an elder statesman now in the changing room.

“And 15-year-old Dowman knocking about now. If you haven’t seen the clips I advise you to go online. Look, it’s early days… But it looks like Declan Rice has taken him under his wing, they took a selfie together.

“He’s definitely the best 15-year-old in the country, probably in Europe right now. Maybe the world.

“I keep seeing people saying, ‘Don’t overhype’ - what are we in football for? We’re here to be entertained, to get excited about young talent and appreciate it. I love it. I want to see the young players coming up.

“Go and see what this kid was doing in the FA Youth Cup game last year against Manchester United. He is a joke. And what I’m hearing from the Arsenal camp is that he’s transferring his ability shown in the youth team to when he’s training with the first team.

“The players are going, ‘Woah’, it’s ridiculous so long may this continue and I hope we talk more and more about Dowman as the season goes on.”

Statistics go some way to painting a picture of Dowman’s enormous potential. He was only 13 when he became the youngest player to play for Arsenal’s Under-18s and was just 14 when he first featured for the Under-21s, again setting a new record.

In September last year, he became the youngest player ever to score in the UEFA Youth League . For England, too, Dowman has been far ahead of the curve, playing and scoring for England’s Under-17s when he was 14.

At this summer’s Under-17 European Championship, he was the youngest player at the entire tournament but started all three of England’s matches, scoring a stunning solo goal against the Czech Republic.

The FA Youth Cup quarter-final against Manchester United in February provided the first moment of awe for many Arsenal fans. Playing at the Emirates Stadium in their Under-18s side, Dowman was on an entirely different level to the other players on the field. The only way that the United players could deal with him was to kick him from behind.

Arsenal Player of the Season Rice backed up Ferdinand’s comments in March , having said: “He is unreal,” while describing him as “the best 15-year-old in the country”.

Even Arteta, whose first thought is usually to protect youngsters from too much expectation, has admitted: “Some of the things he does in training are unbelievable”.

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