Theo Walcott: The Boy becomes a Man!

When Sven-Goran Eriksson picked a very young, Theo Walcott for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, nobody had anticipated this shock selection. Despite the ‘wonder-kid’ tag that followed Walcott from a very young age, you do not pick a 16 year old with half a season experience in the second tier of English Football for the World Cup. Walcott didn’t make a single appearance in the tournament, despite making the cut.

After six years, Theo Walcott is still a boy. He constantly struggles to shake off niggling injuries, and he still doesn’t perform consistently at Arsenal. Moreover, he was not even picked for the England World cup squad in 2010.

But last night, he fulfilled what Sven-Goran Eriksson expected from him. Last night, the 16 year old “speedboat without a driver” became a Man. David Beckham got his redemption when he slotted that freekick against Greece for the 2002 World Cup qualifier. Theo Walcott’s redemption began when he came on for James Milner at the hour mark. England were trailing 1-2 and they needed a spark to lift them up.

KIEV, UKRAINE – JUNE 15: Danny Welbeck of England celebrates scoring their third goal with Theo Walcott during the UEFA EURO 2012 group D match between Sweden and England at The Olympic Stadium on June 15, 2012 in Kiev, Ukraine. (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images)

Walcott’s career at the international level has always been frustrating. He traveled to a one part of world and didn’t play a single game; in 2008 England didn’t qualify for the Euro Championship, and he was dropped for the 2010 world cup. But, this time he made no mistakes.

His first goal was glorious screamer from the edge of the box to bring the Three Lions back level on terms against Sweden. A draw won’t enough, England needed three points and it took another moment of magic from Walcott to give them those three points. People accuse Walcott of wasting opportunities, but he proved them all wrong by picking out Danny Welbeck who scored the match winning goal.

After six years of constant struggle and frustration, Theo Walcott has finally made it big on a very big stage. The whole country will be now chanting his name. The chances of England progressing now looks almost certain as they only need a single point against Ukraine to ensure their progress. Walcott will definitely start that game on the flank. Wayne Rooney will also be joining the team after serving his two-games suspension and now suddenly, England are looking like they could go all the way to the final.

30 minutes is all it took for Walcott to turn the game on its head. After selecting, Theo Walcott for the 2006 World Cup, Sven-Goran Eriksson said “It will have served Walcott extremely well for the future. He has been to a World Cup, knows how it is and it will be very good for him in his career.”

Is this the future that Mr. Eriksson was talking about?