Max Dowman Draws Lionel Messi Comparison As Premier League's Youngest Goalscorer

Add as a preferred source on Google

Max Dowman’s record-breaking goal for Arsenal against Everton drew a striking comparison from John Terry, who linked the 16-year-old’s style to Lionel Messi while highlighting a historic Premier League landmark created by the teenager’s late strike at Emirates Stadium in the 2-0 win.

Dowman, aged 16 years and 73 days, came off the bench and helped seal Arsenal’s victory, first influencing Viktor Gyokeres’ 89th-minute opener before scoring with virtually the last kick, becoming the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history and overtaking the mark set by Everton’s James Vaughan in 2005.

The midfielder’s goal also added a statistical footnote for the competition, as Dowman’s strike ensured there has now been at least one Premier League scorer born in every year from the 1960s through to the 2000s, underlining how early Dowman has arrived on the elite stage for Arsenal.

Terry focused less on the record and more on Dowman’s complete performance, describing how the teenager changed the match’s tempo against Everton, using sharp movement, tight control and direct dribbling to trouble defenders in a manner that reminded the former Chelsea captain of watching Messi in full flow.

"Max Dowman. What a player, by the way," Terry said in a video posted on his TikTok page. "16 years of age, almost 17, absolutely incredible. I watched him play against Chelsea about a year agoand I've not seen anyone glide past people like this man does, other than [Lionel] Messi. That's a big, big comparison, but this man is a proper talent and will play a big part in Arsenal's future, and also England's as well."

That display at Emirates Stadium continues a breakthrough season in which Dowman has already made seven first-team appearances for Arsenal, starting twice, including becoming the club’s youngest-ever starter when named in the XI for the EFL Cup fourth-round tie against Brighton back in October.

Max Dowman Premier League reaction from Wayne Rooney and Arsenal camp

Mikel Arteta has stressed a desire for Dowman to remain grounded despite the attention, while Wayne Rooney, who was previously the Premier League’s youngest scorer after striking for Everton against Arsenal in 2002 as a 16-year-old, believes the teenager should still be allowed to savour such a moment.

"Let him enjoy it and go and express himself," Rooney said on BBC's 'The Wayne Rooney Show'. "Mikel Arteta, some of the senior players in the Arsenal squad, will not let him get ahead of himself. But I think you have to enjoy it as well. What an opportunity for him to be around the squad. He could be aPremier Leaguewinner when he's still finishing school off. So when we've got a young lad like that coming through as a 16-year-old, he's clearly got a lot of ability, and you just hope he can go and fulfil that potential. He's got an aura and a belief about him, and it was the same against Everton."

Between Terry’s comparison to Messi, Rooney’s perspective on handling early fame and Arteta’s efforts to manage development, Dowman’s rapid rise has placed the Arsenal midfielder at the centre of the Premier League conversation while still combining elite competition with school commitments and long-term ambitions for club and country.