Theo Walcott to Play for England

Theo Walcott has never played in the English Premiership. Theo Walcott is almost entirely unknown among England’s soccer fans. Theo Walcott, though, was named to England’s World Cup team at the age of 17. What does Sven-Goran Eriksson, England’s coach, know that the rest don’t?

Mr. Walcott, whose nickname is “Tiger” because some think he looks like Tiger Woods, started playing soccer at 10, an age when some kids are quitting already. He was something of a natural, though, and joined amateur football club Newbury, his home town, on their under-11 side. He scored a hat-trick in his first game, and another 97 before the 35-game season ended. At 11, he moved to Southampton FC’s youth team, and signed with Arsenal in January for £5 million, rising to £12 million which is a lot for a 16 year-old. Since he wasn’t old enough under FA rules, he got £90 a week. However, March 16, he turned 17 and now rakes in about £10,000 a week.

With Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney unlikely to play at all, and certainly out of the first round of the competition with a broken foot, Coach Eriksson took a gamble, he said. The Swedish coach of the England side watched him train at Arsenal, but he has never watched the kid play. His assistant, Tord Grip, did catch Mr. Walcott in an Arsenal under-21 side against an Irish youth team a while ago. That apparently was enough.

Still, he is 16, and when the news came that he had made the team, he was busy taking his written driving test. His agent Colin Gordon told Sky Sports News “He didn’t find out very quickly, he was doing his theory test for his driving exam and his dad was waiting for him in a local car park. [His dad] came out sprinting from the car to tell him the great news before he was accosted by an Arsenal fan. His dad got a phone call from the FA and he also heard it on the radio in the car. He’s still in shock.”

This journal couldn’t be happier, but one must worry about the pressure, which has crippled far more mature players. The World Cup is the biggest stage there is, and the psychological consequences of failing in front of a global audience can only be imagined. That said, Ronaldo was 17 when he got picked for Brazil’s 1994 World Cup campaign (although he didn’t play), and Pele was 17 when he led Brazil to victory in 1958, scoring twice in the final 5-2 victory over Sweden. Mr. Walcott isn’t Pele, or Ronaldo, but he’s Theo Walcott, and that could be enough. If nothing else, it gets the English press off the back of Wayne Rooney’s doctor, and for that alone, this was a good move.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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