Theo James Walcott
Name: Theo James Walcott
Nationality: English
Date and Place of Birth: 16 March 1989 at Stanmore, London, England
Playing Position: Winger, Striker
Current Club:
Arsenal (English Premier League)
Club Career:
2004 - 2006 Southampton
2006 - present Arsenal
International Career:
2006 - present England
About Theo Walcott:
Theo Walcott began his football career playing for youth teams at AFC Newbury, Swindon Town and ultimately Southampton where he went on to make his first team debut in the 2005/2006 season at the age of 16. His goalscoring exploits in youth team football earnt him a sponsorship deal with Nike at the tender age of 14 and his subsequent explosion onto the professional scene with Southampton in the Championship brought further attention from many top clubs' scouts.
Four goals in 21 first team appearances at Southampton eventually led Arsene Wenger to sign Walcott for an initial fee of £5m rising to £12m on appearances and other extra clauses in 2006. Competition for Walcott's signature had been strong with Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester United all hovering but Arsenal moved first to secure his signature.
Walcott's development since has been rather slower than many would have expected at the time of his high profile move to Arsenal. Arsene Wenger hasn't rushed him into the first team on a regular basis even after he was controversially named in Sven Goran Eriksson's England squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany despite never having played a senior game in the English Premier League. Eriksson's reluctance to use Walcott even from the substitute's bench in Germany drew criticism for both manager and player as many journalists and fans thought he had been a waste of a vital squad place.
Walcott's England career recently saw a dramatic upturn as new manager Fabio Capello gave him his first international starts against Andorra and Croatia and was rewarded with an unexpected hat-trick against the Croatians in a 4-1 competitive World Cup qualifier win.
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