•Dowman with the EPL trophy
Arsenal’s Max Dowman has written his name into the Premier League history books, becoming the youngest player ever to win the title at just 16 years and 144 days old.
The teenage midfielder now tops a rare list, overtaking Manchester City’s Phil Foden as the youngest title winner in the competition’s history, reports AFP.
•Dowman
Dowman, who has featured enough times this season to qualify for a winner’s medal, was among the 40 Arsenal players and staff to receive the commemorative award after meeting the appearance requirement.
His achievement adds another milestone to an already remarkable breakthrough campaign.
As the 16-year-old celebrates a record-setting season, we take a look back at 10 other players who lifted the Premier League trophy while still in their teenage years.
Dowman was already a record-holder after becoming the youngest Premier League goalscorer with a superb solo strike to clinch Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Everton in January, when he was aged 16 years and 73 days.
He also set a record on the final day when he became the youngest starter at 16 years and 144 days in Premier League history when he was named in the starting XI at Selhurst Park.
Below, we look at the next 10 youngest players who have won the Premier League, making at least five appearances in a title-winning campaign.
1. Phil Foden – 17 years, 350 days (Man City, 2017/18)
Foden was previously the youngest player to win a Premier League title, having made his record-clinching fifth appearance in Man City’s final game of the 2017/18 season against Southampton. He was on the pitch for Gabriel Jesus’ winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time, a goal which took City to a record 100-point haul. The first assist of Foden’s Premier League career was for Sergio Aguero in a 5-1 win against Leicester City in February 2018.
2. Rico Lewis – 18 years, 188 days (Man City, 2022/23)
Lewis was thrown in at the deep end when Man City won the title in 2022/23. Despite not starting a game until December 28 – a 3-1 win at Leeds United – he finished the campaign with 10 league starts, impressing in a defender-midfielder hybrid role. City manager Pep Guardiola called his impact “extraordinary” after he came on at half-time in a 1-0 win at Chelsea in January that season.
3. Brahim Díaz – 18 years, 283 days (Man City, 2017/18)
Díaz was substituted on for his fifth appearance of the season, four minutes before Foden, in City’s victory against Southampton in May 2018. In doing so, he became the first – and still the only – Moroccan player to win a Premier League title. By the age of 22, he had added LaLiga and Serie A titles to his list of honours.
4. Gaël Clichy – 18 years, 294 days (Arsenal, 2003/04)
Clichy held the record as the Premier League’s youngest title-winning player for 14 years before Foden and Díaz surpassed him in 2017/18. The Frenchman was Ashley Cole’s backup at left-back during Arsenal’s “Invincibles” campaign in 2003/04, starting six matches in nine games after Cole was injured in December 2003.
5. Rafael da Silva – 18 years, 319 days (Man Utd, 2008/09)
Rafael played over 1,000 minutes in the 2008/09 Premier League season for Manchester United. His first Premier League goal came in the final minute of his team’s 2-1 defeat at Arsenal in November 2008. His twin brother, Fabio, could have been level with him in this list of course, but none of his appearances that season were in the league.
6. Nicolas Anelka – 19 years, 57 days (Arsenal, 1997/98)
Anelka was Arsène Wenger’s first official signing as Arsenal manager and arguably had the greatest impact of any player in this list so far on his team’s title win.
The Frenchman broke into the side after an injury to Ian Wright and played a key role in their Premier League-FA Cup double – their first trophies under Wenger.
7. Neco Williams – 19 years, 104 days (Liverpool, 2019/20)
Williams started three of Liverpool’s last five matches as the Reds won the title in 2019/20 with 99 points, earning minutes at both right-back and left-back as cover for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.
All six of Williams’ appearances that season came in June and July, after the competition was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
8. Phil Neville – 19 years, 105 days (Man Utd, 1995/96)
After Phil Neville was substituted at half-time in Man Utd’s 3-1 opening day defeat at Aston Villa, TV pundit and ex-Liverpool captain Alan Hansen proclaimed, “You can’t win anything with kids.”
The club went on to win a Premier League and FA Cup double that season. Neville assisted Eric Cantona’s winner in a 1-0 win at Newcastle United in March, a huge victory in the title race.
9. Ryan Giggs – 19 years, 161 days (Man Utd, 1992/93)
Giggs had a full season under his belt in the old First Division for Man Utd in 1991/92, but played a huge role as they became the inaugural Premier League champions in 1992/93.
He missed just one of his team’s 42 league matches.
10. Curtis Jones – 19 years, 178 days (Liverpool, 2019/20)
Jones follows Williams as the second player from Liverpool’s 2019/20 title-winning team to feature in this list.
His first Premier League goal came in the final minutes of Liverpool’s 2-0 win at home to Aston Villa in July 2020, sealing a 17th consecutive league victory for the Reds in an extraordinary season.
