Former Everton forward Theo Walcott announces retirement from football

Former Everton attacker Theo Walcott has called time on his football career following his release from Southampton.

The 34-year-old enjoyed an illustrious career in the Premier League, playing for Southampton, Arsenal and Everton.

Signed from Arsenal after 12 years in London, he arrived at Everton in 2018 for a fee around £20m and he went onto score 11 goals and register nine assists in 85 games.

TalkSport have confirmed he has decided to retire, despite having interest for another move from Bournemouth along with League One outfit Reading.

Overview of Walcott’s career

He retires after 564 games, 132 goals and 95 assists from his time in England. Initially, he shot to fame after he broke into the Southampton first-team aged just 16 and was then signed by Arsenal for a £5m in 2006 not long after his Saints debut.

That then saw him controversially picked to join England’s 2006 World Cup squad, called up by Sven-Göran Eriksson, but he failed to register an apperance. However, he did take home the Young Sports Personality of the Year award for that year as a result.

His time at Arsenal brought him three FA Cups and two Community Shields and he also enjoyed 48 caps for England, scoring eight times with his standout moment coming in the 3-2 over Sweden at the European Championships in 2012, in which he scored twice.

Walcott at Everton

Signed by Sam Allardyche in January 2018, Walcott arrived and went onto start 13 games in a row on the right wing. He recorded an assist on his debut against West Brom in a 1-1 draw, but managed to net twice on his second appearance in a 2-1 home win over Leicester.

In his first full season he was a key player, making 37 appearances which included 24 starts.

That resulted in five goals and two assists which included goals against Manchester United and Tottenham as Everton came eighth.

Injuries saw him struggle to hold down a regular place the following season, as he managed 29 appearances and just 17 starts, as Everton struggled under Marco Silva to finish 12th.

He then spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Southampton before then making that move permanent the season after.