Walcott has yet to full showcase his skills, having spent much of career at Arsenal as an 'impact player' coming off the bench.
The youngster has long been heralded as the hope for English football and his remarkable rise hit its hieights at the end of the 2005/06 season when he was sensationally selected in England's squad for the World Cup finals.
It came only five months after he had moved from Championship side Southampton to Arsenal in a deal worth up to £12million. What made it even more startling was that he had not played a single minute of first team action for the Gunners in the remainder of the season, being an unused substitute on six occasions.
Walcott moved to north London for an initial fee of £5million, rising to a possible £12million, making him the most expensive 16-year-old in history. He had set the Championship alight with Southampton, showing awareness, composure, confidence and ability beyond his years.
With lightening pace, superb finishing and a brilliant footballing brain and good with both feet, Walcott possessed all the attributes for a striker in the modern game.
Walcott, first spotted playing for AFC Newbury, began to impress in September 2004 when, aged 15 years and 175 days, he became Southampton's youngest player to feature for the reserves in a match against Watford.
Walcott was promoted to the Southampton first team for the 2005/06 season, with the club relegated into the Championship. His professional debut came as a 73rd-minute substitute in a 0-0 draw against Wolves aged 16 years and 143 days - eclipsing Danny Wallace as the club's youngest ever player.
His meteoric rise in 2005 also saw him finish in the top three of the BBC's Young Sports Personality of the Year. By then the speculation over Walcott's future had begun in earnest, with both Chelsea and Arsenal strongly linked.
Walcott could not sign a professional contract with the Gunners until his 17th birthday on March 16 and as such initially signed as a scholar. It was expected he would be loaned back to the Championship for the remainder of the season, but Arsenal immediately handed him a squad number.
Often coming off the bench to impress with his pace and skill, Walcott was a good impact player, but was often overawed by the big stage and could not hold down a first team place.
He rounded off the season with a fantastic goal in a losing cause against Chelsea in the Carling Cup final, and then chose to undergo shoulder surgery to cure a long-term problem, missing out on the European U21 Championships in Holland.
Summing up his 2007/08 season, Walcott came on against Liverpool in the Champions League to make a terrific impact. Running the length of the field to square for Emmanuel Adebayor to score the equalizer, Walcott would still end up on the losing side as Liverpool fought back; but the youngster gave notice of his talent.
Comparisons with Thierry Henry won't go away either, given that he has taken the famous #14 shirt for 2008/09.
The youngster has long been heralded as the hope for English football and his remarkable rise hit its hieights at the end of the 2005/06 season when he was sensationally selected in England's squad for the World Cup finals.
It came only five months after he had moved from Championship side Southampton to Arsenal in a deal worth up to £12million. What made it even more startling was that he had not played a single minute of first team action for the Gunners in the remainder of the season, being an unused substitute on six occasions.
Walcott moved to north London for an initial fee of £5million, rising to a possible £12million, making him the most expensive 16-year-old in history. He had set the Championship alight with Southampton, showing awareness, composure, confidence and ability beyond his years.
With lightening pace, superb finishing and a brilliant footballing brain and good with both feet, Walcott possessed all the attributes for a striker in the modern game.
Walcott, first spotted playing for AFC Newbury, began to impress in September 2004 when, aged 15 years and 175 days, he became Southampton's youngest player to feature for the reserves in a match against Watford.
Walcott was promoted to the Southampton first team for the 2005/06 season, with the club relegated into the Championship. His professional debut came as a 73rd-minute substitute in a 0-0 draw against Wolves aged 16 years and 143 days - eclipsing Danny Wallace as the club's youngest ever player.
His meteoric rise in 2005 also saw him finish in the top three of the BBC's Young Sports Personality of the Year. By then the speculation over Walcott's future had begun in earnest, with both Chelsea and Arsenal strongly linked.
Walcott could not sign a professional contract with the Gunners until his 17th birthday on March 16 and as such initially signed as a scholar. It was expected he would be loaned back to the Championship for the remainder of the season, but Arsenal immediately handed him a squad number.
Often coming off the bench to impress with his pace and skill, Walcott was a good impact player, but was often overawed by the big stage and could not hold down a first team place.
He rounded off the season with a fantastic goal in a losing cause against Chelsea in the Carling Cup final, and then chose to undergo shoulder surgery to cure a long-term problem, missing out on the European U21 Championships in Holland.
Summing up his 2007/08 season, Walcott came on against Liverpool in the Champions League to make a terrific impact. Running the length of the field to square for Emmanuel Adebayor to score the equalizer, Walcott would still end up on the losing side as Liverpool fought back; but the youngster gave notice of his talent.
Comparisons with Thierry Henry won't go away either, given that he has taken the famous #14 shirt for 2008/09.
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