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Walcott living out a dream

When the curtains go up on the World Cup the spotlight will certainly be trained on Theo Walcott

GREAT STRIDES Theo Walcott, England's wonder kid

One of the things that Theo Walcott had to mull over during his driving theory exam last week was the hazard perception test. A test in which the paparazzi jump out from behind the bushes and one had to avoid running over them.

Walcott, England football's new wonder kid could be doing just that over the next few weeks.

The 17-year-old is living out a dream. A few months ago, like many young kids around the world stuck to video games, he was playing Pro Evolution football on his Playstation.

Now, even before making his English Premier League debut, the Arsenal `bencher' is in the England team for the World Cup.

When England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson's named Walcott in his team, the move sent shock waves the world over. Coaches spend months studying their opponents, working out formations and chalking out strategies for each player and Eriksson's choice had them clearly stumped.

Who's he, they asked.

Frightening pace

Walcott may a mystery factor to many but when Malcolm Elias, a talent scout for Southampton Club, first saw the little boy - then playing for Newbury Schools in an inter-school tournament six years ago - the big thing that impressed him was the youngster's pace.

Son of a gas fitter from Berkshire, near London, Walcott was a very good sprinter. At 15, he ran the 100 metres in 11.5 secs, a Berkshire schools record.

"His pace is frightening," says Kenwyne Jones, the Trinidad & Tobago's Southampton striker who played alongside Walcott at the South Coast FC a few years ago. "He has a decent touch and a good football mind too. But you have to see how quick he is to believe it."

For sure, Jones will be offering some very crucial tips to his defenders when Trinidad & Tobago plays England in the World Cup Group `B' game in Nurnberg on June 15.

The expensive 16-year-old

When Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger signed Walcott for five million pounds sterling last year, making him the world's most expensive 16-year-old, he said the youngster could become the best player in the world.

Still, Wenger kept Walcott on the Arsenal bench throughout. But he defended his decision saying, "I was never in a situation where we could take a risk with him because we always needed the points. Even when I gave Thierry Henry a breather, everyone thought I was crazy. I had Bergkamp, Van Persie, Reyes and I went more for experience."

Wenger sees a lot of Thierry Henry in Walcott. "He is a great finisher. He has a short back-lift when he finishes."

Walcott, who is nicknamed `Tiger' as he looks a lot like the golf wonder, had been a prolific scorer for the AFC Newbury a few years ago and represented England in the UEFA European under-17 championship last year.

He may not be the youngest player ever to play the World Cup Finals next month - North Ireland's Norman Whiteside who played in the 1982 Cup at 17 years and 41 days holds that honour - but if he plays against Paraguay on June 10, he will be the second youngest (17 years, 86 days), moving ahead of Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o (17 yrs, 99 days). He will also break Wayne Rooney's mark as the youngest English international.

And if he gets a goal at the World Cup, he will break Pele's record (17 years, 239 days) as the youngest scorer ever.

Walcott is already a big star in England. And his pretty 17-year-old college-going girlfriend Melanie Slade has now become one too. She has been on the front pages of all British dailies for the last few days after Walcott's England call-up.

For sure, the world will be watching Walcott's every step in Germany.

STAN RAYAN

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