Max Dowman makes Premier League debut at age 15 and might be England's answer to Lamine Yamal

Max Dowman closed his eyes and looked up to the sky. Then he leant over, swiped the grass with his hands and trotted onto the field.

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 after the Leeds game 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.”

Here's a few things to know about Dowman, who wears braces and whose biggest struggle is not playing against grown men but growing a mustache:

Born in Chelmsford — a city in the county of Essex, which is northeast of London — Dowman joined Arsenal at the age of 5 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 he was asked by Arteta to train with Arsenal's senior team in December last year and he starred on the club's preseason 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.

Not quite.

Dowman comes in at No. 2 on the all-time list, only behind fellow Arsenal player Ethan Nwaneri, who was 15 years and 181 days when he entered as a substitute against Brentford in September 2022. Nwaneri also is a left-footed attacking midfielder.

Only three players have participated in the Premier League under the age of 16. The other was Jeremy Monga, who played for Leicester last season at 15 years and 271 days. Monga had to wear a shirt with no sponsor because Leicester's jersey was sponsored by an online cryptocurrency gaming platform.

He played for England's under-16 team last year and soon enough was selected for the under-17s at the European Championship for that age grade that took place in Albania in May, becoming the competition’s youngest scorer when netting against the Czech Republic.

Dowman started all three of England's group games but the team didn't advance.

Dowman will turn 16 on Dec. 31 and only then will he be allowed to play in the Champions League. In that case, it will be in time for the knockout stage starting in February, should Arteta choose to call him up.

UEFA regulations state: “Players aged 16 may be registered on List B if they have been registered with the participating club for the previous two years without interruption.” Dowman qualifies in that regard.

The youngest player to have featured in the Champions League is Youssoufa Moukoko, a striker who played for Borussia Dortmund in a group-stage game against Zenit St. Petersburg in December 2020 just 18 days after his 16th birthday.

Yamal was 16 years and 68 days old when he made his Champions League debut at home to Antwerp in September 2023.

It's not just Arteta who has been bigging up Dowman.

“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."

AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this story.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Arsenal's Max Dowman gestures to the fans after the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Leeds United at Emirates stadium in London, England, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Arsenal's Max Dowman acknowledges the fans after the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Leeds United at Emirates stadium in London, England, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Arsenal's Max Dowman is closed down by the Leeds defence during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Leeds United at Emirates stadium in London, England, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Arsenal's Max Dowman runs during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Leeds United at Emirates stadium in London, England, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Leeds United's Noah Okafor tries to block a shot from Arsenal's Max Dowman during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Leeds United at Emirates stadium in London, England, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday even as he has questioned her credibility to take over her country after the U.S. ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro.

The Nobel Institute has said Machado could not give her prize to Trump, an honor that he has coveted. Even if it the gesture proves to be purely symbolic, it was extraordinary given that Trump has effectively sidelined Machado, who has long been the face of resistance in Venezuela. He has signaled his willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who had been Maduro’s second in command.

“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize," Machado told reporters after leaving the White House and heading to Capitol Hill. She said she had done so "as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”

Trump has raised doubts about his stated commitment to backing democratic rule in Venezuela, giving no timetable on when elections might be held. Machado indicated that he had provided few specifics on that front during their discussion.

She did not provide more information on what was said, and the White House did not say if Trump accepted the medal or offer other details of its own.

After a closed-door meeting with Trump, Machado greeted dozens of cheering supporters waiting for her near the White House gates, stopping to hug many.

“We can count on President Trump,” she told them without elaborating, prompting some to briefly chant, “Thank you, Trump.”

Before her visit to Washington, Machado had not been seen in public since she traveled last month to Norway, where her daughter received the peace prize on her behalf. She had spent 11 months in hiding in Venezuela before she appeared in Norway after the ceremony.

The jubilant scene after her meeting with Trump stood in contrast to political realities in Venezuela. Rodríguez remains in charge of day-to-day government operations, along with others in Maduro’s inner circle. In her first state of the union speech Thursday, the interim president promoted the resumption of diplomatic ties between the historic adversaries and advocated for opening the state-run oil industry to more foreign investment after Trump pledged to seize control of Venezuelan crude sales.

Trump has said it would be difficult for Machado to lead because she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.” Her party is widely believed to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Machado “a remarkable and brave voice” but also said the meeting didn’t mean Trump’s opinion of her changed, calling it “a realistic assessment.”

Leavitt told reporters that Trump supported new Venezuelan elections “when the time is right” but did not say when he thought that might be.

Leavitt said Machado had sought the face-to-face meeting without setting expectations for what would occur. She spent about two and a half hours at the White House.

“I don’t think he needs to hear anything from Ms. Machado," the press secretary said while the meeting was still going on, other than to have a ”frank and positive discussion about what’s taking place in Venezuela.”

After leaving the White House, Machado went on to a closed-door meeting with a bipartisan group of senators.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Machado told them that “if there’s not some progress, real progress towards a transition in power, and/or elections in the next several months, we should all be worried.”

“She reminded us that Delcy Rodríguez is, in many ways, worse than Maduro,” he added.

Asked if Machado had heard any commitment from the White House on holding elections in Venezuela, Murphy said, “No, I don’t think she got any commitment from them."

Sen. Bernie Moreno, an Ohio Republican, was exultant following the meeting, saying Machado "delivered a message that loud and clear: What President Trump did was the most important, significant event in Latin America. That getting rid of Maduro was absolutely essential.”

Machado's Washington stop coincided with U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea seizing another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says had ties to Venezuela. It is part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil after U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife less than two weeks ago at a heavily guarded compound in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges.

Leavitt said Venezuela's interim authorities have been fully cooperating with the Trump administration and noted that Rodríguez's government said it planned to release more prisoners detained under Maduro. Among those released were five Americans this week.

Trump said Wednesday that he had a “great conversation” with Rodríguez, their first since Maduro was ousted.

Just hours after Maduro's capture, Trump said of Machado that “it would be very tough for her to be the leader.” Machado had steered a careful course to avoid offending Trump, notably after winning the peace prize, and had sought to cultivate relationships with him and key administration voices like Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The industrial engineer and daughter of a steel magnate, Machado began challenging the ruling party in 2004, when the nongovernmental organization she co-founded, Súmate, promoted a referendum to recall then-President Hugo Chávez. The initiative failed, and Machado and other Súmate executives were charged with conspiracy.

A year later, she drew the anger of Chávez and his allies again for traveling to Washington to meet President George W. Bush, whom Chávez considered an adversary.

Almost two decades later, she marshaled millions of Venezuelans to reject Chávez’s successor, Maduro, for another term in the 2024 election. But ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared him the winner despite ample credible evidence to the contrary. Ensuing anti-government protests ended in a brutal crackdown.

Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Stephen Groves, Michelle L. Price and Matthew Lee in Washington, and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is welcomed at the Capitol before a meeting with senators, from left, Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., as the Nobel Peace Prize recipient visits American leaders two weeks after President Donald Trump toppled Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a stunning military raid, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, center, leaves the Capitol, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, center, is welcomed by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., left, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., far left, and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., right, as the Nobel Peace Prize recipient visits American leaders at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gestures to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado smiles on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

FILE - U.S. President George Bush, right, meets with Maria Corina Machado, executive director of Sumate, a non-governmental organization that defends Venezuelan citizens' political rights, in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, May 31, 2005. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

FILE - Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures to supporters during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro the day before his inauguration for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, file)