Arsenal's 'next Kaka', 14, tipped for England career after record-breaking goal
Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman has received rave reviews following his performances in the Gunners' academy and has already been tipped to become a full England international
by Nathan Ridley · The MirrorArsenal wonderkid Max Dowman has drawn comparisons to Brazilian legend Kaka and been tipped to become a fully-fledged England international - yet he's only 14.
Dowman, an attack-minded midfielder, is expected to be the latest talent to emerge from Arsenal's famous Hale End academy which has produced players such as Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly in recent years.
Born in 2009, Dowman made history last month by becoming the youngest ever player to score in a UEFA Youth League match. The left-footer found the net against Italian side Atalanta, having been called up to Arsenal's under-19s in another indication of his quality.
Now Gunners fans have more reason to be excited after academy coach Gustavo Oliveira likened him to Kaka. The former AC Milan and Real Madrid star is one of Brazilian's greatest ever midfielders, winning the Ballon d'Or in 2007 after lifting the Champions League.
"He plays in the style of Kaka," Oliveira told PL Brasil. "He can write his name. One day he will play for the England national team and in the Premier League."
He isn't the first youth coach to rave about Dowman, who was the hero with two goals in Arsenal under-18's 3-2 comeback win against Birmingham City last Saturday. U18s boss and ex-Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere hailed: "Max's performances speak for themselves, but there’s still a lot of room for development.
"For a 14-year-old, his character and personality are unreal. When we were 2-0 down, he was the one who wanted the ball. [He] drove at their defence and made things happen. His mentality to keep going, despite being kicked, and staying calm in those moments is impressive."
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Wilshere added of Dowman, who was just 13 when he played at U18 level for the first time. "There's always a concern when fielding such a young player in these matches, but if you're good enough, you're old enough.
"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."
Dowman made his debut for England's under-17s last month, so the FA are already well aware of his talents.
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