Theo Walcott's Biography

Who is Theo Walcott?

Theo Walcott was born on 16 March 1989 in Newbury, Berkshire. He is the youngest ever England football international and plays for Arsenal as a winger or striker.

When he was 10 years old he played for AFC Newbury's youth team.

Theo Walcott was signed by Southampton as an 11 year old and progressed quickly.

In the 2004/5 season Theo Walcott was a fundamental part of Southampton's team which reached the FA Youth Cup Final and was chosen for the England U17 team in which he scored 5 goals in 9 games.

Just before the 2005/6 season Theo Walcott signed his first full time contract and joined up with the Southampton first team. He became their youngest ever player when he came on as a substitute against Wolves aged 16 years and 143 days old.

After some good performances for Southampton, Theo Walcott soon attracted interest from some of the country's top clubs. On January 20, 2006 he signed for Arsenal for £5 million but the fee could rise to £12 million depending on appearances.

On May 8 2006, despite having not appeared for Arsenal, Theo Walcott was included in the England 2006 World Cup squad.

Walcott was a very surprising choice, so much so that he had not bothered listening to the World Cup selection and took his driving test instead. When his father, Don, told him he was going to Germany 2006 he thought it was a joke.

As it turned out Theo Walcott did not make an appearance in the 2006 World Cup.

Previously, however, on 30 May 2006, Theo Walcott became the youngest ever England international at 17 years 75 days when he came on as a substitute in a friendly against Hungary.

On the first day of the Premiership 2006/2007 season, Theo Walcott was brought on as a substitute in Arsenal's game against Aston Villa. It was Theo Walcott's first Premiership appearance.

Theo Walcott was named the 2006 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year, having come second the previous year.

In the 2007 Carling Cup final, Theo Walcott scored his first goal for Arsenal. It was a marvellous strike, but not enough to stop Chelsea beating them 2-1.

Theo Walcott has inherited a problem with his shoulder ligaments and his injuries have included dislocating his shoulder against Portsmouth in December 2005.

Walcott's mother is a midwife and a breast-feeding teacher and, in 2007, Theo promoted The Breastfeeding Manifesto.

On 23 February 2008, in the match against Birmingham, Theo Walcott finally scored his first Premiership goal for Arsenal. Theo Walcott did not have to wait long for his second Premiership goal, which came just over five minutes later in the same game.

In March 2008, Theo Walcott was recalled to the England squad for the first time since the 2006 World Cup.

On 10 September 2008, Theo Walcott scored his first goal for England, when he scored a hat-trick in England's World Cup qualifier against Croatia.

In May 2009, Theo Walcott signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal.

In 2010 Fabio Capello surprised many when he left Theo Walcott out of his 23-man England World Cup squad, however he was later to return to the England fold.

On 20 February 2017, Theo Walcott scored his 100th goal for Arsenal in their FA Cup fifth-round match against Sutton United.

In January 2018, Everton signed Theo Walcott from Arsenal for more than £20m.

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