Theo Walcott: I’m Hanging Up My Boots

0:04I want to just try new things. I never really experienced certain things when I was a kid and I missed out on a lot. Did it damage you that a little bit? That era was mad of people following Mel, even causing accidents in cars just to get a picture of me and her together. It's just like 16, 17-year-old. Yeah, I do remember you and Mel being sort of big news in that tournament, amongst other couples that were big news as well. So I look back on that thinking, I don't really wish I had anyone else. Essentially, the World Cup I probably should have gone to 2010, I didn't go. That's when I was probably flying at my best, playing really well.

0:39What happened there?

0:48So we're here today to interview Theo Walcott, 34 years of age. It's incredible that 18 years ago he came to Germany, to Baden-Baden, in a World Cup squad. At the time, it was a huge announcement. He was a star, the most expensive teenager in the world, and then he's had a career that spanned over 550 matches, He's scoring over 100 goals and he's now in limbo at a point in his career where Southampton have just gone down. The club that he grew up at and the club that gave him his opportunity and he's got a big decision to make. We're going to find out today from Theo what his plans are. Theo, welcome to The Overlap.

1:27A long time since I've seen you. I met you obviously 18 years ago, first time now in that 2006 World Cup when you're thrust into the limelight. And I believe you've got something to tell us today. Yep, so I'm officially going to be hanging up my boots. It's very scary, I can't lie. It's scary because football's all I've known. It's from the age of 16 or even younger, and obviously going to the World Cup with yourself. Yeah. I want to just try new things. I never really experienced certain things when I was a kid, and I missed out on a lot. But I'm not saying I'm going to be going and doing some mad stuff.

2:01Time to party. Yeah, no. Jumping out of planes and stuff. But I just feel I want to experience life, you know? I thought football's, everything's evolved around football for me. And now it does, but it can also look somewhere else as well. What's been the biggest factor in making that decision? Obviously, you did think about continuing. Did you have offers to go and play at different clubs in different countries? Yeah, so I had offers abroad and some championship teams, some very good championship teams. Did you get an offer from Saudi? Yeah, so there's been some Saudi offers, but I just don't feel like that's not where I want to see myself playing, to be honest.

2:33Nothing against the money or the league. I just feel like right now, if my heart's not into playing football, it's not fair on the clubs, it's not fair on me. I'm not going to earn myself a contract where I'm not going to be putting 100 % into it. It just doesn't sit pretty with me. It's not that essentially I've fallen out of love with the game. It's just my heart's not going to be fully committed to playing week in, week out, training, and doing a pre-season again and all that. And I just feel like that's OK with me. I'm OK with it. You know, there'll be a lot of people who might think, you know, you've still got a lot to do.

3:02You played at the end of the season as well. I sure did. I was in the team. but I kind of like the fact that I've stopped at Southampton. I started and I stopped there, so it sits nice for me. That's my last ever goal, it was against Arsenal. For me, no one else, but for me, it's a nice moment and I'm proud of that. Are you sure? I always say to players, when they're contemplating retirement, I thought about it one or two times. I should have retired the year before and I continued and it was probably wrong. Are you absolutely 100 %? Because it's difficult to turn back. I am. I am. So a lot of people always spoke to me back And I sort of interact them straight around and say, I'm done.

3:35I'm okay with it. And yeah, I want to do something different. So I'm okay not to play anymore. Obviously you'll be aware, I mean, you obviously have got a shrewd head on you, but you'll be aware of the statistics around football players that retire at the age of 35 and the problems that sometimes they have in that first three or four years beyond retirement where that thrill, that adrenaline rush has gone. Is that something that you think you'll have to contend with? Or do you think you're old, you've got that peace in your mind that you don't feel like that's going to sort of... And sometimes you don't know, do you?

4:03Yeah. Do you feel comfortable? I do. The thing that's helped me massively, and I think it's helped a lot of players, and it's sometimes poo-pooed at, I suppose, is therapists. Like, I've been speaking to therapists for many years. And still now today? And still now today. And I feel that's really important in any society you do, any sort of work or business you do, to have a different perspective for someone else, to talk to about anything, if that's a family member or anything. But I've used it as a therapist, and I feel like in sport as well, it's a sign of a weakness, I suppose, back maybe people think it was wasn't it yeah it was what is it that you find in your sessions with the therapist and what particularly is it the type of thing that you discuss with them work family everything like even yourself looking at sort of some patterns of childhood every like everything comes out really certain triggers all sorts and if you can find someone in that role that can help you you'll be in your best frame or be in the best place to look after other people and that's how i look at it what's the feeling you have today as you sit here and announce your retirement you know what feelings are moving through your body probably like i look back now actually proud of certain things in my career not when i was playing it's very strange when you're playing you don't really take note of that achievement you've done like from winning fa cups obviously you've won so much and even starting the goals i scored amount of goals i score for arsenal over 108 goals for arsenal as a winger fifth i think in the premier league era for Arsenal you know I'm up on the names with some Thierry Bergkamp, Ian Wright, all these guys I look back now and think why did I not sort of enjoy that moment when I was doing it yeah so now I take a step back and I'm actually very proud of those moments to win the FA Cups and playing for England at such a young age 47 caps 18 years in the Premier League alone's a great achievement even just being a Premier League footballer is a great achievement just looking at that i always see people when they talk about players and they you know they're not good enough or or whatever probably your sort of job i suppose and i'm like i look back and i think do you know they've there's a certain percentage of people that actually make it in the prima league and some people come and they go straight away because they haven't been able to hack it for whatever reason but they still go on to have very good careers in whatever league that's a great achievement so in itself so i look at all my achievements and i'm like the hatcheries have scored through England at a 19 score net-trick.

6:22Playing for Everton and when there's times it was really difficult for the club to sort of get out of a relegation fight and we finish eight for Big Sam and then he gets a sack. And it's all, football changes so quickly. You never really step back and think, oh, what did I do here? You have to move on very quickly. So now I look back and I think, do you know what? I've got a book and I've shown my kids of all the goals for Arsenal, just everything. And he looks at highlights and he sees me score and he wants to know everything about it. and it's nice because I can live those moments with him now.

6:52Yeah, it's really nice. Do you have him on your screen in your house and you're telling your walk and your goals on loop? That's too fair. I wouldn't say that long, I don't think. You've got to look covered, didn't you? I think one of my best throw-ins would be the highlights. Do you know what I actually say to him? If you're going to look at highlights, look at Arsenal highlights. He's got more goals for them than Saints and Everton. But no, he just loves football. And as well, it's been with me and it always will be with me. You should be proud. I mean scoring 108 goals I think in under 400 games for Arsenal is some achievement particularly from the right wing for most of it.

7:24How long has this decision been coming? Have you been thinking about sort of the end and what it looks like for the last year or two? Or is it just a case of now you've woke up and thought right what am I going to do next? You know it's more probably an end of the season. I thought I'm happy with stopping after that. It was a very stressful year anyway on the football side of things and I'm just in a different part of my life now. I'm coming after your job, that's what I'm doing. That won't be difficult. You are going to do some work in the media, aren't you? Yeah, I would like to. A little birdie at Sky told me a couple of days ago they've signed up Theo Walcott.

7:58And I was like, oh, right. And I thought, I'm not going to speak to him about what I'm doing. Well, I had a full contract, yeah. Have you not? Not quite yet. Another exclusive on the overlap. We'll see, we'll see. Is that what you want to do? Do you want to go into the media? I do enjoy that side of it. I enjoy the sort of analysing the games, analysing sort of teams and as well because I've got an insight into the different generations of plays I've been in your generation you know slightly older than myself so I think you're the last player I played with to retire for England I was thinking about it this morning I can't think of anybody else Nona it'd go on until we're dead did I play with James Milner though I'm not sure I did really yeah I don't think so maybe yeah yeah yeah Jack Yoka no he's still You're the last link to my football career.

8:53As a 16-year-old going to the World Cup, for me, I should never have gone. I've said this. England shouldn't have picked you or Arsene Wenger should have protected you. That era was mad at people following Mel, even causing accidents in cars just to get a picture of me and her together. Did it damage you that a little bit? Yeah, I just had to deal with it.

9:20I feel during your career because of probably being selected for England in 2006 got a disproportionate amount of scrutiny of attention did you feel that during your career and how do you feel the sort of media treated you during your sort of 17 18 year career I've got to be kind of nice if I want to go into it but no no no no no so honestly as a 16 year old going to the World Cup for me I I should never have gone. I've said this, I should never have gone. You should have said that I'm not going or Arsene Wenger. You try to turn the 17 year olds to go say, you're not going to work up for England.

9:53That's not going to do that. So I didn't actually plan the Premier League at all. So I haven't asked of this, but essentially the manager saw something and in the end I didn't play. When you say you shouldn't have gone to a world cup, are you saying you should have pulled out that England shouldn't have picked you or that Arsene Wenger should have protected you? Which one of those are you saying? Probably both, I'd say. Because I played always up age groups for England. So I was already in this sort of, in the books of keeping an eye on this kid, I suppose. But yeah, I think probably could have been a bit more protected in that sense.

10:25A bit more of a conversation between... I didn't even know. I actually knew that Sven was coming to watch training. And I didn't really think anything of it. Because obviously you're Ashley in Seoul. And then I remember Arsene saying he's coming to watch you. And I'm like, okay, all right. just thinking and maybe for the future type thing, not really thinking. And then suddenly that happened and then the whole life changed. And I remember watching a bit of TV because as well, like, it's like on Instagram, you want a little dolphin being hit and you get likes or whatever. Yeah. I thought I could see these people saying some nice things and then there was quite a lot of sort of negative things, which is fine people have their opinions.

10:58And I just thought, I can't watch this. Like, this ain't good for me. So I ended up just, I think, playing World Cup and Lopper with the old man. Funny enough. And I think if I could check out that's the one thing i would because it away affected like i said the expectation yeah that side of it was magnified and yes it did sort of explode by exploded it was a massive it was the big huge well you imagine like even my my wife my wife now mel it's just coming out of uni and then getting a paparazzi getting followed in a world where with 16 kids with kids yeah and And being in that world, maybe not as protected as we thought we were, we'd be so unaware of all this, but it was just...

11:39I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Everything was always magnified. I look back at now, I'm 17, 16, with the... You see the wag sort of structure and that side of it. You were right amongst it, weren't you? Right in it. Right in it. Didn't know what to do, because I look so young. I'm so out of place. It was essentially when I joined Arsenal, I was so out of place as well, being really young. walking into the dressing room, 16, with Sol Campbell and Thierry and Jens. That era was mad, of people following Mel, even causing accidents in cars just to get a picture of me and her together. It's just like 16, 17-year-old.

12:16You and Mel being sort of big news in that tournament, amongst other couples that were big news as well. Did it damage you that a little bit? Yeah, I just had to deal with it. I just had to get on with it. And it was essentially, I used football for that. But I look back on and think, you know, like now for instance she didn't have that no i had that distraction i suppose so it's interesting you look back it's great you're still together and you've come through that because it could have left you know you're in your 16 relationships can be difficult and you're young it would have damaged uh irreparably i think if you'd have had a split you know a split one to 18 19 because you would have been thrust into the media limelight in such a way which would have been unfair to someone who never asked for that so like i look back on that thinking i don't i don't really wish I won anyone else.

12:58Essentially, like, the World Cup I probably should have gone to. 2010, I didn't go. Which is just, that's when I was probably flying at my best, playing really well. What happened there? What happened there? I remember Pella, as the manager, was very blunt, because I remember me even missing a meeting. You might have even been there, actually. I was with JT. I remember missing a meeting, and I'm like, I'm someone who wants to be on time. What, you overslept, or? No, do you know what? I just misread the schedule. Like, on the bloody clipboard. Like, I just, and I'm not like that. and there must have been something else that was going on that made me not read it properly, because I'm not that sort of person.

13:30And I missed it, and I was like shitting myself, thinking I've got to go see Capello about this, I apologise. And I went to JT and I said, JT, I missed a meetup, so sorry, he's like, I fear, don't worry about it, he was so chilled about it, I was like, I am worried about it, because I need to go talk to the manager. I went to go see Capello, and he literally just shoved the door in my face, remember? And I was like, just, right. and I that was before that was during the qualifying stages the 2010 pretty sure I'm not saying that was the reason why but I remember the phone call and again I wanted to just sort of ask sort of you know what is it I've not done or what do I need to do to try and get just hung up so I never really had that well you just said what was what was words to you on that call just said I wasn't gonna take you to woke up and hung up but didn't this it and I was So what?

14:18And they went dead. And I'm like, this is someone who's meant to be one of the best managers around, but now you've got to deal with the person's response or his emotions or anything, you just don't, no, I don't need to do that. I have time for people and I always feel like if they want to improve and they want to ask questions, I will find time for that. And he didn't. And that's the disappointing thing. And I remember actually going to a restaurant a few weeks later after I woke up and he was in there and he obviously got a sack. So when I went to say hello to him, I was like, yeah. So you weren't too displeased when he sort of left the job?

14:56Yeah. What do you feel about England? I look back on England, my England career, with disappointment because we didn't win anything. How do you look back on your England career? Other than the honor and the privilege of playing for your country, which I know you love. Yeah. So yeah, it's interesting because they always say about the golden era, don't they, the England's like team. And I don't think that team would probably be a team now, I believe. I just, I'm just, that's just my opinion. But I look back on it and think, do you know what, even playing at Wembley, I probably would have wanted more for England's side of it.

15:26It's probably one thing I remember when actually Gareth told me I wasn't gonna be in the squad. And honestly, I told him what I felt about it. When was that, 2016? This was 20, uh, 18? Just before I left Arsenal, yeah, 17. Yeah, 17, 18. Yeah, so it was back then. Essentially, I've not retired from England still, and like, people say, you should just retire England. I'm not retired either. I'm still available. We could play in two years. Can they bring an over-fifties team out? But like, I remember the conversation with Gareth and I look back and I think, he probably wasn't the right thing to say.

16:00What did he say to you? So Gareth, he called me up. It was actually on my birthday as well. It was on my birthday. Lovely timing. Great timing. I don't think he would have known, to be honest, which is fine, given the benefit. But what Gareth's done with the team now he's brought that main-eyed Arsenal for everyone together which is probably our downpour the golden era that's probably what it is really because didn't want to be seen or being good friends with them did you feel that I will come back to the garage yeah did you feel those clicks I mean obviously I'm aware of it because I was part of it but did you feel as a young player coming in I didn't I didn't feel it because I felt everyone was very welcome to me to help me out because I was a kid like let's look after him that's what felt to me everyone was looking after me yeah so when i go back to the protector side of things i thought the players did that for me yeah um even though i didn't say but a lot of them would have like even stevie or like franklin obviously doing but they still cared to look after me to some extent and yeah really but the gareth conversation was he told me the reasons why i didn't think i was playing enough and all this side of it and i just had to come back with some stats basically like saying i was the third or second highest goal scorer behind sterling and deli ali i think at English goal scorer and you know I've actually played a lot more minutes than you think play more than like Jack Wilshire for instance just to give him a scheme example um and then he ended up taking Jack to the Euros anyway he didn't play as much as me so it's a bit and I just sort of said it was and I and then I did a capello on him and I hung up did you oh no I know yeah I do a bit I do a bit because I've what I look back now and I think I look at what Gareth's done for the team and it's actually incredible what he's done.

17:36It really is. And I got proper behind England, with England shirts on, the kids were proper into it because he's brought that. Yeah, yeah. I don't think any manager would have brought that. And maybe it was a good thing me doing that and not being part of that England set-up anymore. I don't know. I haven't really looked at that side of it. You're a bit of a role behind the scenes, aren't you? I like you. I think that's probably with age. How would you think, at the end of your career, you would want to be viewed and how would you think that you will be viewed when you announce this? They're going to think I've stopped early.

18:01but I've got to forget I started at 16 playing the Premier League for 18 years. Are you right there? Being a professional footballer is an achievement. It's a great achievement.

18:17When you first went to Arsenal and Arsene Wenger's the manager what was your experience of Arsene in terms of one, on the pitch and off the pitch in terms of your relationship with him how he dealt with you? So Arsene was a person as a manager that didn't like confrontation. Didn't like confrontation? At all, no. I remember scenes where, you know, players might have had an argument. Two players, in fact, Robin and Ramsey, actually. Bless them. Robin was going for the golden boot. And I understand strikers selfish. They want to score every minute of the game. And that's fine, I get it. We were playing Man City and Arteta scored.

18:55You know, quite a famous goal for him, actually. And I remember we came in, everyone's happy, like happy and Robin wasn't happy because he didn't score because Aaron went clean through on goal at the end and should have squared to him, Robin scores. Right. And becoming all happy and then Robin wants to... Goes off on one. Goes off on one with Aaron, it's fine. It gets all heated and gets thrown. Players get thrown all over the place and stuff, it gets stopped. But Arsene, I remember actually seeing him sort of slip past, go back to his back office because he thought like the players would just deal with this.

19:24So when I say he didn't like I felt like he would get the team to deal with the problem. And I remember, I'll never forget Arteta coming in, it was just like, you could hear a pin drop, it was so weird. He came in so happy with the MOM thing and he's like, what's going on here, type thing. And we obviously explained and he's like, what? But obviously Robin cared, he wanted to. And I like that and that's when I think next year he went to United and he won the league. Yeah, essentially that. And in terms of, do you think that was good for you, the way in which Arsene managed, or do you think it was, do you prefer someone who's a bit more direct a bit more forthright with you.

19:56So I think at that age, because I was very timid, you would have seen me at the World Cup, I was very quiet. I didn't really want to speak to many people. I'd just get on with my business, head down, work hard. Arsene, he's the sort of manager, his door's always open. You'd go and see him in his room. But he'd always have time on the pitch as well. And he always had that for any player, he always had time. But yeah, and I've enjoyed all my managers, Harry, which I can't thank enough because he gave me that first. I suppose at 16 in the championship, and as well working with him. Dennis Wise I worked with briefly, which is a different experience of Dennis.

20:32But - In what way? Just, I remember, it was a, when I was young, I was in Southampton, obviously the academy side of Southampton was amazing. They were actually bringing players through, and I was that next sort of player coming through. I look back at it now, and I remember sort of warming up, and I was kicking the ball against the balls, and I missed the boards and I smashed this glass and Dennis Wise is behind it on the bike and comes out effing and blinding, glass in his leg, honestly. And then I said it was me and he said, don't worry about it. It's like the club said, don't piss him off.

21:06Yeah, yeah. So it felt like, I even said no to making cups of teas to Dennis Wise. I'm not here to make cups of teas, I'm here to play football. So it's like they, the club probably protected, like makes you look after him. And then he was like a nice sort of role model for me in that side of it. Who were the players when you first came to Arsenal that you felt were your sort of mentors and people who really sort of you like learn from? Great characters, didn't you? Yeah, so Gael Clichy was big for me because of his position, left back. Having someone to talk to and just to be around and be comfortable around him and to train against him.

21:40Yeah. And then even take me home and like that was nice because I felt like because he was fairly young as well. Yeah. Ashley, again, left back. Yeah. I seem to attract myself to defenders and goalkeepers. So I'm trying to find out what they don't like. Yeah, I'd definitely say Ashley and Sol were the main ones when I first went to the dressing room. And then in time, people like your, it would have been Alex Songz and Abu A's type, because they were big kids, basically. Essentially, I was a little kid. So I kind of liked going in that sort of world a bit. Thierry was, I was there for a brief spell of him.

22:14Thierry was a fantastic start. And then, you know, when players get left, if they want to move, things get a bit sour. But I don't look at that, because I understand it now, I get it. My players, they want to move on, and they'll do anything to move on, and I get it. You eventually had his shirt number, didn't you? Yes, I did. I was a big Henri fan, I was a Michael Owen fan, massive Owen fan as well. But, yeah, Henri had the 14 shirt, and I just wanted number eight, I think. And we were signing Nazri, the kit man. So we're signing someone, I can't tell you who. And I just, ah, 14. Right. And he's like, you know who that is?

22:47And I'm like, yeah, I'll take it. It doesn't matter. It's just a number to me. So, yeah, that's how the number come across. I didn't really think of it in that sense of Henri's got it. But when I think of 14, I do think of Henri. I do all the time. Where was the point where you felt at your most comfortable? You think, right, I'm in the zone. I'm in form here. Probably would have been Arsene that sort of era 2010 to 2014, before I did my knee in 2014. That was probably the year where I felt my best. That's why I scored most of my goals. and that's why I was so disappointed not going to World Cup if I actually probably did deserve this time.

23:19That was the disappointment for me. What were your goals in that season pre-World Cup 2010? Because you had a good season, didn't you? Oh, God. I'm just going to over say a lot more. Don't do the thing that forwards always do. No, you're not. I think it was 21. Yeah. I think it was 21. It was like over 14, 15 assists for Van Persie. As a winger, that's pretty decent. That's good. Yeah. It's a unbelievable season. Yeah. But now, you look at those numbers and there's not many players that get those numbers now. So I'd probably say that part of it was brilliant, but there's been little snippets at Sampton, like briefly, different sort of playing style and a different work weight, which you probably wouldn't have seen in me before because essentially Arsenal always had the ball.

24:00But yeah, I'd probably say that era, yeah. How would you think at the end of your career you would want to be viewed and how would you think that you will be viewed when you announce this? Okay, so I know how people are going to look at it like because I've they're going to think I've stopped early 34 maybe yeah 34 35 mid-March but I've got to forget I started at 16 playing the Premier League for 18 years that's that's a long time to play at the highest level for that long so they're going to probably be that's why I could have done more of this maybe more for England tournaments it's going to be all that negative stuff but I'm the sort of person now in my life where I look at all the positive sides of it and and I think people probably actually, because I was probably one of those people who think, oh, I could have done more here, but then I look back and I think, I won three FA Cups, all the goals for Arsenal, 47 Cups for England, goals for England, going to a couple of tournaments for England, just being a professional footballer in Premier League, playing for Arsenal, one of the best teams around.

25:00You're right there. Being a professional footballer is an achievement. It's a great achievement, and going to these incredible stages and the support and going abroad and seeing the passion in people, if they meet you, if they take a picture. And I'm like, I want to see them open that letter I've just sent back to them. And those moments I'm going to look back on and think, yeah, do you know what? I've helped someone there. Like, quite frankly, if someone says Theo's not done this, I don't need to spend much time with that person, really. So I feel like hopefully I've sort of changed someone's part of their life in some way, in my football or just the way I'm outside of football.

25:33Yeah. Theo, I've really enjoyed speaking to you. All the best in your retirement. And I always say to people who've got to the end of a career, well done. You achieved something that millions wanted to, and you actually have completed football. Well done. Thank you very much. Well done. Thank you. Well done. Thank you. Brilliant.

26:08You