Having originally played for AFC Newbury’s boys side, London-born Theo Walcott was at Swindon’s Academy, with his registration about to lapse, when Southampton brought him into their Youth set-up.

It was soon very obvious that this son of a British/Jamaican father and English mother was

a bit special, with his ability to keep control of the ball at a blistering pace. What’s more, he had a temperament far beyond his years.

After he had starred for the side that reached the FA Youth Cup Final, it was only a matter of time before he was unveiled in the first team.

Following relegation in 2005, manager Harry Redknapp gave Theo his chance in the opening game of the next season. When he came on as a sub v Wolves (see scrapbook section), he became the club’s youngest debutant at 16 years 143 days.He made an immediate impact, scoring goals and tearing Championship defences to shreds.

The Premiership’s big guns were soon showing an interest. Come the January window, Theo was on his way to Arsenal. It was a tense time for Southampton, as Theo, not yet 17, had not signed a pro contract. But his family and he wanted Southampton to be rewarded for nurturing him. Arsenal played ball and a deal was done as if Theo were a full-time pro. The fee was £5m, rising to £12m on appearances and caps etc. But, in March 2008, with Southampton in serious financial difficulties, that fee was commuted to £9.1m. Theo did not look back from the moment he was a surprise inclusion in England’s 2006 World Cup squad, despite not having played a full international at that point.

He has gone on to win 47 caps and to terrorise some of the Premiership’s top defenders, despite proving a little injury-prone and becoming the object of two debates. First, should he be played wide or more centrally? Secondly, is he just an “instinct” player, compared say with the all-round game of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who also went on to join Arsenal? When he left Arsenal for Everton after nearly 12 years there was a feeling his career had been something of an anti-climax and since being at Goodison he failed to hold down a regular starting spot even in an underachieving team. At the time of his move there were strong rumours that he might have done a “Don Roper” and come back to Southampton but, in the end, the size of his fee and his wage demands were too excessive.

Fast forward to October 2020 and, on the last day of the transfer window, he did come “home”, rejoining Saints on loan, with Everton reportedly meeting more than half of his wages. It had been nearly 15 years since he flew the nest, a record length of time between a departure and a resurrection for a Saints player. In May 2021 he signed a permanent two-year contract to stay at St Mary’s. He only made five Premier League starts in 2021-22, but the following season as Saints fought against the drop he was more prominent, making 14 starts, the last of which came in the last game v Liverpool when relegation had already been confirmed. He confirmed on the morning of the match that it would be his last game for the club. Later that summer he announced his retirement from the game as a player.