A retired teacher uncovered an unexpected connection between his family and Arsenal prodigy Max Dowman after watching an under-16 friendly between England and Italy.
Two years ago, Dave Male was on holiday in Murcia, a city in the southeastern region of Spain, when he decided to visit the nearby Pinatar Arena, a venue often used for football training camps and friendlies.
On this occasion, the arena was playing host to an under-16 friendly between England and Italy.
England's line-up included several familiar names, including goalscorer Amir Ibragimov, who is widely regarded as one of Manchester United's top youth prospects.
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But for Male, one name stood out amongst the rest. “I was looking at the team sheet and that’s when the name Dowman hit me straight away," he said in a recent interview with The Guardian.
Male recognised the Dowman name from his own family history.
“My grandmother was born Maria Maud Dowman and she was the mother of George Male, who captained Arsenal and England," he added. "So it turns out he is distantly related to Max through his great, great, great, great grandfather William Dowman."
George Male, who made his Arsenal debut in 1930, played a significant role in their success under manager Herbert Chapman and won five league titles in eight seasons for the Gunners.
In fact, he became the first player in history to win six English top-flight titles when Arsenal were crowned champions in 1948.
Male, whose name is celebrated in two places outside the Emirates Stadium, also won 19 caps for England and captained his country on six occasions.
“He was a very unassuming man. Very polite, very kind,” Dave Male said about his uncle.
“Originally he played for amateur side Clapton Orient and in one game they experimented with him as a centre-forward and he scored six goals in a 7-1 win against Wycombe."
Male added: "He was then rejected by West Ham after a trial before Arsenal signed him in 1929 and he went on to make more than 300 appearances."
Male had made 181 wartime appearances while also serving with the RAF in Palestine.
After hanging up his boots, Male was a coach and chief scout at Arsenal. He also held several other administrative positions at the Gunners before retiring in 1975.
Dowman’s family were not aware of the family link until recently and according to The Guardian, they are said to have welcomed the news.
Last month, Max Dowman made history by becoming the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history.
At the age of 16 years and 73 days old, he netted the second goal in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Everton on March 14.