Theo Walcott was born on 16 March 1989 and grew up near Newbury. After joining the youth scheme at Southampton, he became the Saints' youngest ever player, before joining Arsenal in January 2006. Following his surprise selection in Sven-Goeran 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 has now played more than 300 times for Arsenal and is fast approaching 100 goals for the Gunners, including the goal that set them on the way to victory in the 2015 FA Cup Final. In September 2008 he also became the youngest player to score a hat-trick for England, for whom he now has nearly 50 caps.