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Max Dowman could make UEFA Champions League history this weekend when Arsenal take on Paris Saint-Germain in Saturday’s final at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Footynaija reports.
The 16-year-old midfielder has travelled with Mikel Arteta’s squad for the biggest game in European club football and is pushing to be included in the matchday squad for the showdown against the French champions.
Should Arsenal lift the trophy and Dowman feature in the triumph, the teenager would become the youngest player ever to win the Champions League. At 16 years and 150 days old, he would shatter a record that has stood for more than three decades.
That milestone currently belongs to Nigerian icon Nwankwo Kanu, who won the competition with Ajax in 1995 at the age of 18 years and 296 days. Kanu played a part in Ajax’s famous 1-0 victory over AC Milan in Vienna, replacing Clarence Seedorf during the second half as the Dutch side secured European football’s biggest prize.
Dowman’s rapid rise suggests another landmark achievement would come as little surprise. The Hale End graduate has enjoyed a remarkable breakthrough campaign, repeatedly setting age-related records for Arsenal.
The England Under-19 international became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history earlier this season when he scored against Everton. He has also broken records as the youngest player to start a Premier League match, the youngest Arsenal player to appear in the Champions League and the youngest scorer in the UEFA Youth League.
Now, with Arsenal chasing a first Champions League crown under Arteta, Dowman has the opportunity to add his name to European football folklore.
