Theo Walcott, at the age of 34, has declared his retirement from the game of professional football.
After a 23-year career in which he made 397 Premier League appearances, Walcott hangs up his boots.
“I’m going to put my boots away for good. I won’t lie; it’s quite worrisome,” Walcott added.
“I’ve only known football since I was 16 or maybe younger, so it’s scary. I want to explore new things because I feel like I missed out on a lot growing up.
“Things [usually] revolve around football for me. I just feel like I want to experience life.”
Walcott won two Community Shields and three FA Cups during his 13 years with the Gunners.
He gained notoriety in 2006 when, at the age of 17, he was unexpectedly chosen for Sven Goran Eriksson’s England World Cup squad.
For England, Walcott made 47 appearances over the course of a ten-year international career, scoring eight goals.
Walcott believes he had offers from other clubs to continue playing but that his “heart isn’t committed” to it. Walcott, a free agent who made 20 Premier League appearances and scored three goals for Southampton last season as the club was relegated, claims he received offers from other clubs.
“I’ve received offers from top Championship teams and from abroad. Although there have been some Saudi offers, Walcott remarked, “I don’t see myself playing there.
Nothing against the money or the league, but if I’m not playing football from the bottom of my heart, it’s unfair to the clubs and unfair to me.
Walcott, 16, scores Saints’ first FA Cup goal as they defeat MK Dons.
Before joining Southampton in 2000, Walcott was a young player for Newbury and Swindon Town.
As a 16-year-old making his Saints debut in 2005, he scored against Leeds United to become the team’s youngest ever goal scorer.
Before joining Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal in 2006, Walcott made 21 appearances and scored four goals for the Saints.
He scored 108 goals in 397 games for the Gunners before making a £20 million transfer to Everton in 2019.
Before returning to Southampton two years later, Walcott played 85 appearances for the Toffees and scored 11 goals throughout that time.