Max Dowman for England's World Cup squad? History tells us prodigious talents must be handled with care

Arsenal’s Max Dowman is the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer, having struck against Everton at 16 years and 73 days, but the clamour for an immediate England World Cup call-up must be resisted. History is littered with English prodigies—Rooney, Walcott, Wilshere, Sancho, Rashford, Dele Alli—who dazzled early yet faced burnout, injury or off-field turmoil before 30. Even record-appearance maker James Milner, still playing at 40, warns that 24-hour exposure, social-media noise and year-round fixtures make modern careers “impossible” to sustain without careful pacing.

Dowman’s maturity impresses Mikel Arteta, yet only ten days ago the midfielder made his first senior start, against Mansfield in the FA Cup. Comparisons with 17-year-old Pele in 1958 or Spain’s Lamine Yamal at Euro 2024 ignore context: Dowman sits GCSEs this summer and travels from home to Arsenal’s training ground. Fast-tracking him to a month-long global tournament risks the pitfalls seen when Theo Walcott, uncapped at club level, was taken to the 2006 World Cup at 17; Walcott later admitted the move came “too early.” Similar haste with Ethan Nwaneri last year was sensibly rejected, and Kobbie Mainoo’s rapid promotion to the Euro 2024 squad preceded a form dip that has left him awaiting recall.

Argentina’s 1978 coach Cesar Luis Menotti left 17-year-old Diego Maradona out of the home World Cup, calculating the pressure would be excessive; Maradona returned four years later to dominate the tournament. The FA’s improved pathway now funnels teenagers through under-21s, and Arteta, like Liverpool’s Arne Slot with 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha, is limiting minutes. The long game—protecting Dowman from too much fame, money and football too soon—offers the best chance of turning today’s raw promise into a decade-spanning England career.