Lionel Messi has included Arsenal's Max Dowman and Crystal Palace winger Zavier Gozo in his list of the top 10 future stars. The Argentina hero hand-selected the Premier League duo among Adidas-sponsored athletes as the 'next generation' of football.
Gozo and Dowman's rise
Gozo joined Palace in the summer after impressing at Real Salt Lake City in the MLS. Across 50 appearances in the United States, the 19-year-old scored 10 goals and assisted eight times from a right-wing position. He is slowly being introduced to the first-team squad in south London, having played 45 minutes so far.
Dowman, four years younger than Gozo, has a richer Premier League history. The 16-year-old became the youngest top-flight goalscorer ever with a winning strike against Everton last season. His rise has continued this campaign, with Mikel Arteta carefully managing his playing time.
Recognition and full list
Dowman recently won the Carabao Cup Player of the Round award after a brace against Ipswich Town and holds three Guinness World Records for his Everton goal, a Champions League appearance at 15, and his Premier League title triumph. Gozo and Dowman were unveiled in Messi's list of 10 athletes backed by Adidas, which also includes Como winger Jesus Rodriguez and Arsenal-linked Gilberto Mora.
ESPN reports that Arsenal are plotting a January move for Mora after making contact with Tijuana regarding the 17-year-old Mexico international. He has also been linked with Benfica, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund. The full list includes Tomas Aranda (Boca Juniors), Kees Smit (AZ Alkmaar), Can Uzun (Eintracht Frankfurt), Chloe Sarwie (Chelsea), Giovanna Waksman (Lyon) and Lotta Wrede (Hamburger SV).
Arteta's advice on Dowman
Arteta shares Messi's admiration for Dowman but has urged supporters to remain patient. In September, the Arsenal boss said: "Everything is possible. The probability probably is extremely low, because you don't see the players with the capacity to handle just the physicality of the game.
"Not only that, but the demands that you have to put your bodies through in the week to be able to be in a good condition to compete, the amount of information, the challenges that you have to face. But he's doing it, and he's doing it really well every time he's got a chance."
Arteta added: "What we have to do is look after him - he's 16-years-old, you don't see that in this league. In other leagues in Europe, that's a totally different context. But in this league, with the demands that the league, the players and everything puts on you, we really need to make sure every time we throw him in, he's in the right context with the right preparation, and that's what we are trying to do."
He concluded: "We're going to make sure that when we just throw him there, he's ready to handle that at every level, and it's not just that he can run past somebody. There's a lot more things that we need to look after him...the only thing that we have to manage is that he needs to constantly be aware that he needs to be prepared for what he needs to do."
