Theo James Walcott (born 16 March 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Arsenal and the England national team. He won the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award in 2006.
Walcott started his career at Southampton before joining Arsenal for £5 million in 2006. Known for his speed and crossing ability, he was mainly deployed as a winger by manager Arsène Wenger, except for the 2012–13 season when he played as a striker during a contract dispute. On 30 May 2006, he became England's youngest senior player at 17 years and 75 days. He made his first competitive start in a World Cup qualifier against Andorra on 6 September 2008 and scored a hat-trick against Croatia on 10 September, becoming England's youngest player to do so. Walcott has represented England at the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2012, earning 42 caps and scoring eight goals.
