Throughout the history of football, there have been many players with signature moves that have gone down in history, and whenever another player performs them, we’re reminded of the person who invented or popularized them.
We’ve got Cristiano Ronaldo’s stepover, Michael Laudrup’s and Andres Iniesta‘s “La Croqueta,” Ronaldinho’s flip flap, and Zidane’s roulette. Without a doubt, these are some of the most memorable signature moves in football, and there are still many more that we didn’t include that have marked a before and after in football, since, as we said before, these moves have been used later by other players and we always remember the greatest exponents and creators. But what happens when your signature move is controversial because with it you can get and win easy penalties? This is happening with the young Arsenal FC player, Max Dowman.
Dowman is a very good young player who has a long way to go but also has a great future, having been a key player for the England Under-17s, so it’s only a matter of time before we see him in the England national team.
Returning to the topic of Dowman and his signature move, recently in the England U19 match against Spain, Bowman won a penalty after deceiving the Spanish defender. The thing is, after feinting the defender, Dowman goes to his own right and dives very credibly and wins the penalty.
Dowman winning a penalty for England u19 VS Spainpic.twitter.com/aAS7iwXsIA
— Doc (@karthikadhaigal) September 6, 2025
While Dowman possesses excellent technical ability that could even improve in the future, many have argued that the signature move is a dive, and it can’t be like that. A footballer can’t rely on diving to score goals. Although we can’t assume this is his signature move, there are already those who claim it is, whether it’s a joke or for real.
When considering there is this running joke that Dowman’s signature move is diving, that is crazy to say. This is certainly meant to be tongue in cheek, but there is no denying that the context for such a young player, who is barely starting at pro level, is quite shocking.
Imagine your signature move being a dive 😂
— Jonesy (@Jonesy_FT) September 7, 2025
But we can’t ignore the fact that Dowman had an excellent match against Spain. He was undoubtedly England’s best player in that match, and we can’t just talk about the penalty the Englishman won, but also about what he experienced in that match. In the first half alone, the Englishman was fouled 10 times, with left-back Davinchi being the one who fouled him the most.
In fact, many believed the Spanish full-back should have been sent off due to his many fouls. Not only did Dowman receive criticism for his dive and Da Vinci for the fouls, but also the referee himself for allowing the left back to continue playing after committing several fouls, which has been reported by the media.
It is probably a good sign for Arsenal and England fans that Dowman is getting this type of recognition. However, he is still extremely young and should have a lot of time to grow and develop.
