With Jason Donovan at number one and Mark Hughes Player of the Year, Theodore 'Theo' Walcott is born on 16 March 1989

After a spell as a trainee at Swindon Town, 16-year-old Walcott makes his senior debut for Southampton in July 2005

He makes his first competitive appearance in the Saints' opening game of the 2005-2006 season, against Wolves

After impressing as sub, Walcott wins a place in Southampton's starting line-up in October 2005

He scores in each of his first three starts for the south-coast club, and the game's top managers sit up and take notice

11 December 2005, and the pacy forward shows his class with an exquisite finish against Luton Town

That same night, Theo attends the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show, and the top clubs' race to sign him is on

He makes his penultimate appearance for the Saints against MK Dons in the FA Cup, scoring minutes after coming on

Arsenal seal Walcott's signature on 20 January 2006 for an initial fee of �5m, in a deal that could end up costing �12m

Walcott impresses in training, scoring twice in his first two outings with the Arsenal reserves

Still only 16, Walcott shines on his debut for England's under-19s in a friendly against Slovakia in February 2006

Despite never having seen him play a game, Sven-Goran Eriksson names Walcott in his World Cup squad in May 2006