Walcott rose to semi-stardom off the back of a high-profile move
to Arsenal, commanding an initial fee of £5 million that may rise
as high as £12 million, despite an obvious lack of
experience.
The transfer was seen as a huge gamble, and the pacey youngster
gained further notoriety when Sven-Goran Eriksson called him up as
his fourth striker for the 2006 World Cup. It was a highly
criticised move and indeed, despite a shortage of men up front due
to injuries, Walcott did not play a single minute in Germany, where
England were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Portugal on
penalties.
However, Walcott is now slowly but surely shaking off his overhyped
prospect tag and, game by game, establishing himself as a genuine
contender for a starting place for the Gunners.
Looking back on his incredibly short career so far, the 19-year-old
is pleased with the choices he's made."As a kid, I felt that it was
all happening too quickly for me.
"Chelsea invited me to be a ballboy when Liverpool, the team I
supported, played at Stamford Bridge, and I got to meet all the
players in the changing rooms afterwards.
"I had my picture taken with Michael Owen. I've shown it to him
since and we've had a laugh about it.
"But it was the right decision to play for Southampton: it was a
family club and I just wanted to play. All the coaches were
brilliant.
"I'm sure I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for them."