Arsenal star Cristhian Mosquera compares Max Dowman to Lamine Yamal

Tom Weber

15 Oct 2025 10:02 CDT
3 min read

Arsenal defender Cristhian Mosquera has likened wonderkid Max Dowman to Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal.

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Speaking in an interview with The Athletic, the Spain U21 international lavished praise on his teenage teammate, with Dowman having established himself as a regular part of Mikel Arteta's senior squad over the summer.

In August, the 15-year-old became the second-youngest Premier League debutant in history, only behind Arsenal teammate Ethan Nwaneri. He has made two more first-team appearances since then, alternating between the seniors and the U21s.

For England, Dowman currently features at the U19 level, where he set a new record on Tuesday by becoming the youngest ever scorer in that age group. His goal in a 7-0 rout of Wales also saw him become the first 15-year-old to net for the U19s.

“I don’t mean to compare," Mosquera said of Dowman, "but his style and way of playing is like Lamine Yamal. His movements are Lamine-esque." Like Dowman, the Barcelona superstar, who is already a Ballon d'Or runner-up at 18, made his debut aged 15.

Mosquera: 'Dowman is incredible'

Mosquera added: "I didn’t have him on my radar, and when I got to Singapore [for pre-season], he was already training and playing. When they told me he was 15, I couldn’t believe it. He really is an incredible player, and I think he’s going to be world-class.

“You see 17- and 18-year-olds like Myles [Lewis-Skelly] or Ethan [Nwaneri], and they play like they’re 30, like they’ve been playing football their whole lives. It’s incredible.”

Mosquera himself is, of course, still a youngster, despite closing in on a century of senior appearances. He played 90 times for his formative club Valencia and has so far featured eight times for Arsenal.

He made a first-team appearance for Spain at last year's Olympics but is currently captaining their U21s. “My [Arsenal] teammates ask me: ‘Who are you playing against now?’ And when I tell them I’m going with the U21s, they’re surprised.

"But I take it in my stride. Playing for the U21s is also a privilege and helps me get a lot of playing time,” Mosquera says. Having impressed for the Gunners, the 21-year-old is likely not far away from returning to the Spanish first-team fold to feature alongside Yamal.

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