Theo Walcott

When the name of Theo Walcott was included in the England squad for the 2006 World Cup, shock waves ran through the football world. But no one was more surprised than Theo himself. His Dad Don told him he'd been called up. "For what?" Theo asked. Four years later, Theo Walcott has one of the most recognizable faces in football. As the English heart of the brilliant young Arsenal team, he has become a firm favorite at the Emirates Stadium. For fans, he represents everything that is good about the beautiful game. For his country, he now carries the hopes and expectations of the nation on his shoulders, especially since one night in Croatia made him the youngest player ever to score a hat-trick for England. It has been an incredible adventure, an unbelievable story for a quiet boy from a small village who only started playing football when he was 11. But how does it feel to be 21 (and a half) and for your dreams to come true? To have been called "the perfect footballer"? For the first time, Theo Walcott is going public to take you inside his private world, the world of a superstar in the ascendant, yet one with his feet planted firmly on the ground.

Theo Walcott was the Saints' youngest ever player before joining Arsenal in January 2006. Following his surprise selection in Sven-Goran Eriksson's World Cup squad, Theo set another record in making his England debut at the age of just 17 years and 75 days, and was named the BBC's Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2006. He is now a star player for both Arsenal and England and in September 2008 became the youngest player to score a hat-trick for England.