Mikel Arteta opens up ahead of Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League 2025-26 quarterfinal second leg match against Bayer Leverkusen, referencing Max Dowman.
On 17 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Spanish coach Mikel Arteta spoke ahead of Arsenal, the Premier League giants, hosting Bayer Leverkusen, the prominent Bundesliga team, at Emirates Stadium for the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 quarterfinal second leg. He also mentioned Max Dowman, the team's promising young player.
Looking back at the previous match where Arsenal defeated Everton 2-0 at home, the second goal was scored by Max Dowman, the young attacking midfielder of the home team. This goal made him the youngest player to score in the Premier League at 16 years and 74 days, breaking the previous record held by James Vaughan of Everton, who scored at 16 years and 270 days.
Before the upcoming match against Bayer Leverkusen, Mikel Arteta said about Max Dowman, “His almost unbelievable achievement (Max Dowman’s) no longer matters now. He must focus on the future. Of course, doing what he did at that time was extremely difficult—almost impossible to see again—and he did it. But in football, as I said, what you did just a few days ago no longer matters in the next game. He must keep his determination.”