Mikel Arteta believes Max Dauman’s character and courage on the pitch cannot be taught after the 15-year-old made history as the youngest player ever to become a Champions League player.
Dauman came on as a substitute in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Slavia Prague in the Champions League, becoming at the age of 15 years and 308 days the first player of his age to play in Europe’s top club competition.
It came six days after he made his debut as Arsenal’s youngest ever starter in the Carabao Cup against Brighton.
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Check out the best shots from Doman’s full debut in the Carabao Cup fourth round match between Brighton and Arsenal.
In the Czech Republic, Dauman drew a foul from a defender shortly after first touching the ball, and the Arsenal manager said age is just a number when it comes to forwards.
“What he did on the pitch was he came in, played people with the first ball, started dribbling and got fouled,” Arteta said.
“It’s character, it’s courage. And you can’t teach it. You either have it or you don’t.
Dauman is the first 15-year-old player in the Champions League
“And it doesn’t matter what’s in his passport. You throw him into this situation and he can adapt and perform well.”
Next: Inside the Rise of Dauman
“Ball running has always been his super strength,” Temisan Williams, former Arsenal academy coach and current founder of the Coach Accelerator Masterclass community, told Sky Sports.
“When Max was an Under-11 player, I ended up coaching him for a whole season and from the beginning I thought, ‘Okay, this young man has something special.’
Dauman is currently the most talked about teenager in Europe. He made his first-team debut in August, made his competitive debut within weeks and is now playing in the Champions League.
All this raises the question: how far can he go? And how quickly?
“Champions League, World Cup, Premier League,” Williams says. “He has all the abilities, he has the mentality. If he didn’t, Mikel Arteta wouldn’t have brought him into the team at that age.”
There is little doubt anymore – Max Dauman is next.
Read more about Max Dauman’s development through Arsenal’s academy here.
