Arsenal star Cristhian Mosquera has told the Gunners they already have their very own Lamine Yamal within their ranks. The Barcelona teenager has thrilled the world since bursting onto the scene as a 15-year-old at Camp Nou. Yamal has already won La Liga and Copa del Rey titles with Barcelona, as well as the European Championship with Spain, and finished second to Ousmane Dembele at the 2025 Ballon d'Or awards.
'Word class' Arsenal teen is 'Lamine-esque'
Mosquera only joined Arsenal in the summer transfer window from Valencia but has already been blown away by one of the club's young stars. Max Dowman, who has already made his Premier League debut for the Gunners at the tender age of 15, has clearly made an instant impression on the defender. Mosquera has told The Athletic that he was shocked to discover Dowman's age and feels that highlighted how he feels he has similar characteristics to Barcelona's wonderkid.
“I don’t mean to compare, but his style and way of playing is like Lamine Yamal. His movements are Lamine-esque," he said. "I didn’t have him on my radar and when I got to Singapore, 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.”
AdvertisementGetty Images SportDowman breaks another record with England
Dowman has already made history by becoming the youngest player to score a goal in Premier League 2 and added another record to his collection over the international break. The teenager scored for England's Under-19s in a 7-0 thrashing of Wales to become the team's youngest ever goalscorer. He breaks the record previously held by Ryan Sessegnon in 2016.
Messi comparisons for Yamal and Dowman
Mosquera is not the first player to shower Dowman with praise. Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott has previously compared the teenager to a certain Lionel Messi. He told BBC Sport: "He carries the ball, he's quicker with the ball. He's like Messi. I remember playing against Messi – when he was off the ball he's not quick. Maybe it's because I was quicker than most. When he had the ball he would just glide past people, glide past me with ease. [Dowman's] got that, he's got the stop-start. The biggest challenge is the outside noise and how he copes with even his school life, that balance of even walking out on the street and recognising him. That social media world, I didn't have that coming through, we didn't have that when we were younger. It was very different."
Yamal has also had to cope with comparisons to the Barcelona legend throughout his young career so far. However, the Spain star has rejected such talk, insisting he wants to be his own player. He told reporters earlier this year: "I don't compare myself to him, because I don't compare myself to anyone, and much less with Messi. We are thinking about improving ourselves, every day, and on being better on the next day. So I don't think the comparison makes sense, with Messi even less, I'm going to enjoy myself, and be myself. I admire him obviously, as the best player in history, but I don't compare myself to him."
Arteta's plan for Dowman at Arsenal
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has already outlined his plans for Dowman as he aims to carefully nurture an exciting talent. He told reporters last month: "It brings responsibility to look after somebody with that talent and make sure we just do what we have to do to make sure we're given the best chance to exploit his talent, that's all. We need to be cautious and that's what we are trying to do in the best possible way to find that balance to keep Max as connected as possible with the first team because he's undoubtedly a player that can help the first team. But that's why we need the right mixture of minutes."