LiveScore Have Your Say Poll Result: Max Dowman voted the world’s best talent aged 18 or under

Max Dowman didn’t play enough minutes last season to feature in LiveScore’s Wonderkid Watch list – but Arsenal’s young prodigy stated his case for more game time on Tuesday night.

The 16-year-old attacking midfielder produced a sensational performance in the Gunners’ 4-2 Carabao Cup victory over Ipswich Town, netting twice and being named Player of the Match as a result.

So it was perhaps unsurprising to see him voted the world’s best talent under the age of 18, when we put the question to LiveScore readers earlier this week.

Here’s everything you need to know about the result of our latest poll…

Full Poll Results: Who is the world's best talent aged 18 or under? (134.6k votes)

Dowman development generates excitement

The sense of excitement surrounding Dowman is palpable, whenever he pulls on an Arsenal shirt.

Supporters of the North London outfit – or indeed those of an England persuasion – are desperate to see more of the hot prospect in action, as manager Mikel Arteta eases him into the first team set-up.

Dowman has certainly hinted at the talent he possesses on numerous occasions, most notably by scoring a first Premier League goal against Everton in March last year.

But the teenager’s performance against the Tractor Boys was arguably his biggest statement yet – and may well have influenced the voting in our Have Your Say poll.

We posed the question: ‘Who is the world’s best talent aged 18 or under?’, with a host of different options to choose from.

Of the eight candidates, Ayyoub Bouaddi (Manchester City), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool) and Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich) all performed strongly.

Nobody came close to Dowman, however, who received a significant 32% of the vote.

Verdict: Max Dowman is the world’s best talent aged 18 or under

Portman Road masterclass

Dowman opened the scoring for Arsenal in impressive style on Tuesday – bursting through midfield before jinking past Cédric Kipré and firing into the bottom-left corner.

He netted the Gunners’ third of the night, too, prodding a low effort past goalkeeper Christian Walton after receiving Martín Zubimendi’s pass on the right side of the box.

But there was more to Dowman’s performance than simply the goals. For starters, he had the joint-most shots in the game with Noni Madueke (3) and scored with both of his shots on target.

The England Under 19 international also attempted far more take-ons than any other player (8) and was effective out of possession – regaining the ball more times in the attacking third than anyone else (3).

There will be even greater clamour to see more of Dowman in a red and white shirt after this eye-catching performance in Suffolk.

Arteta caution

Arsenal boss Arteta was delighted with Dowman’s impact against Ipswich – but remains cautious about over-exposing a player so young to the rigours of regular first-team football.

“What we have to do is look after him [Dowman], he explained. “He’s 16 years old, you don’t see that in this league. In other leagues in Europe, that’s a totally different context.

“But in this league, with the demands that the league, the players and everything puts on you, we really need to make sure every time we throw him in, he’s in the right context with the right preparation, and that’s what we are trying to do.

"We’re going to make sure that when we just throw him there, he’s ready to handle that at every level, and it’s not just that he can run past somebody.

There’s a lot more things that we need to look after him… the only thing that we have to manage is that he needs to constantly be aware that he needs to be prepared for what he needs to do.”

Wonderkid Watch 2026/27

As previously mentioned, Dowman didn’t feature enough in the Premier League last season to make the LiveScore Wonderkid Watch list.

In case you missed it, that’s our statistical rankings system for players under the age of 20 (or 21 for goalkeepers), which analyses over 40 different metrics per position and a selection of other criteria.

You can find out everything you need to know about Wonderkid Watch here, though one factor to be aware of is that players need to play at least 500 league minutes to be in consideration.

Dowman only managed 153 last term and is yet to play a top-flight minute this season.

But if Tuesday’s performance is anything to go by, it won’t be long before Arteta starts giving him increased game time – especially with the Gunners still fighting on four fronts after their Carabao Cup progression.

If Dowman reaches the threshold, there is little doubt that he could make a big impact on the Wonderkid Watch rankings as the current campaign develops.

Check LiveScore throughout 2026/27 to see regular Wonderkid Watch ranking updates across the season!