At the tender age of 15 years and 235 days, Dowman was officially a Premier League player — coming on to represent Arsenal as a second-half substitute in the 5-0 win over Leeds on Saturday.
His 64th-minute entrance might have generated the biggest cheer of the evening at Emirates Stadium. That's because, in Dowman, Arsenal fans know they have a seriously good prospect on their hands.
So does his manager.
"There is a kid here that has zero hesitation and is so convinced that, at 15, he can go and deliver, which I have never witnessed in my life," Mikel Arteta said about Dowman, who might just be England's answer to young Spain and Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal.
"For us, he brings joy, he brings emotion and something else that makes our jobs so great."
Born in Chelmsford — a city in the county of Essex, northeast of London — Dowman joined Arsenal at the age of five in May 2015.
He made his debut for Arsenal's under-18s at age 13 and became the youngest scorer in the UEFA Youth League at age 14, when he was playing for the under-19s.
Dowman was still 14 when asked by Arteta to train with Arsenal's senior team in December last year and starred on the club's pre-season tour of Asia in matches against AC Milan and Newcastle.
He is a left-footed attacking midfielder who plays on the right and likes to drift inside. Just ask Leeds — with one of his dribbles cutting in from the right, he won a stoppage-time penalty that was converted by Viktor Gyokeres to complete the 5-0 thrashing.
Dowman is the second youngest Premier League player behind fellow Arsenal player Ethan Nwaneri, who was 15 years and 181 days when he entered as a substitute against Brentford in September 2022.
He played for England's under-16 team last year and was selected for the under-17s at the European Championship in Albania in May, becoming the competition's youngest scorer when netting against the Czech Republic.
"I think everyone can see the potential he has," Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber said after the Leeds game. "Playing against grown men. He is a joy to watch, for the crowd, too, he is a joy to watch."
In March, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice described Dowman as "unreal" but insisted: "You can be the best 15-year-old in the country, but it doesn't necessarily mean you are going to be at 18. So, you need to be hungry, keep working and keep pushing."
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