Theo James Walcott (born 16 March 1989) is an English footballer who currently plays for Arsenal and the England national football team as a winger or striker.
Walcott was born in Stanmore, London, but grew up in the small village of Compton near Newbury, where he played for AFC Newbury and went to The Downs School secondary school. Walcott scored more than 100 goals in his one and only season for Newbury, before leaving there for Swindon Town and later for Southampton. Nike agreed to a sponsorship deal with Walcott when he was fourteen years old.
Before breaking into the Southampton first team, Walcott's massive potential was showcased in the 2005 MATCH Annual. His performances soon attracted attention from the British media, who saw him as one of the most promising young English talents of his time. There was speculation that Walcott would move to the Premiership and media reports linked him with some of the league's top clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. In September 2008, Arsene Wenger confirmed that Spurs, Chelsea and Liverpool were all interested in signing Walcott.
Ultimately Walcott signed for Arsenal in January 2006 for an initial fee of £5m rising to a possible £12m based on appearances for club and country, making him the most expensive 16 year old in the history of British football. In April 2008, financial pressures forced Southampton to accept an early settlement which means that Walcott will actually have cost Arsenal around £9.1 million.
Walcott came on as a second half substitute on 25 May 2006 for the England B team against Belarus. On 30 May 2006, he became the youngest ever England player in a full international by appearing in England's friendly against Hungary at Old Trafford, aged 17 years and 75 days. England won the match 3–1.
Walcott was a surprise inclusion in Sven-Göran Eriksson's preliminary England squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Even with first-choice strikers Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen both recovering from injury, Walcott was selected over established Premiership strikers such as Darren Bent (the highest-scoring English forward in the Premiership in the 2005–06 season), Andy Johnson (the top English goalscorer in the Premiership in the 2004–05 season), Dean Ashton (like Bent, already an established player at England U21 level) and England squad regular Jermain Defoe. On 6 September, Walcott made his first competitive start in a World Cup qualifier against Andorra, and in the following match against Croatia on 10 September 2008 he opened his senior international goals tally and became the youngest player in history to score a hat-trick for England.
2004 - 2006---------Southampton----21 apps-----4 goals
2006 - Present-------Arsenal---------49 apps------5 goals
Posts
