Gary Lineker has heaped praise on Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman by comparing the teenager to Wayne Rooney.
Dowman became the youngster goalscorer in Premier League history at the age of 16 years and 73 days when he notched the second of Arsenal's goals late on in their crucial win over Everton on Saturday evening.
The Gunners had struggled against the Toffees and looked to be heading for a goalless draw until it became the Dowman show after he was introduced in a bold, attacking move by Mikel Arteta in the 74th minute.
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Arsenal's William Saliba in action with Everton's Thierno Barry
Premier League - Everton v Arsenal - Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, Britain - December 20, 2025 Arsenal's William Saliba in action with Everton's Thierno Barry REUTERS/David Klein
It was the teenager's ball into the box that led to the Viktor Gyokeres tapping home the opener in the 89th minute to great relief around the Emirates Stadium. And then, when Jordan Pickford went up for a corner in the 97th minute and the ball broke to Dowman, he sat Vitalii Mykolenko and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall down before waltzing over halfway and tapping into an empty net.
Dowman beat former Everton star James Vaughan's record that had stood for 21 years as the youngest player to net a Premier League goal.
Another former Toffee is also on the list of top five youngster scorers in Premier League history, with Wayne Rooney fourth on the list at 16 years and 360 days old when he scored against Arsenal in 2002 - there's clearly something about this fixture.
Rooney would go on to score another 207 Premier League goals, placing him third on the list of all-time top scorers and if Dowman gets anywhere near that he will know he has had a great career.
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John Terry after his final game for Chelsea
Lineker believes Dowman has what it takes to emulate the great Rooney in years to come.
Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker said: "Now, you're always slightly wary of getting ahead of yourself, but I think you recognise special talent when it arrives, and I think he looks to me probably the most likely since Wayne Rooney to absolutely be a superstar."
Lineker's high praise comes in the wake of former Chelsea defender John Terry lavishing arguably higher praise on the Arsenal starlet.
Speaking after that Everton game, the Chelsea legend said: “Max Dowman, what a player by the way, 16 years of age, absolutely incredible.
“I watched him play against Chelsea about a year ago and 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 as well.”
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