"Sh*t, I’ve taken Thierry’s number!" – Walcott
Theo Walcott has confirmed to doubt his decision to take Thierry Henry’s No.14 at Arsenal, described the Gunners as being “too nice” in his time at Emirates Stadium and considered being asked by Lionel Messi to exchange shirts.
The England international was a youngster when he joined Arsenal and spend 12 years there and improved fast that he knew he could step up and fill
Henry
, who left for Barcelona, shirt.
“I originally wanted number 8 but it was the season they signed Samir Nasri, so they told me I couldn’t have it,”
Walcott
announced.
“So I just said I’ll take number 14. I’m not superstitious and I didn’t really think of the relevance. Then suddenly I thought, ‘Sh*t, I’ve taken Thierry’s number’.
“I got a shirt signed from Henry and it said, ‘Do number 14, from number 14’. He signed it off, and if it was good enough for him, it was good enough for me.”
Walcott
did struggle hard for
Henry
’s jersey, playing 397 times for Arsenal and netting 108 goals.
He appeared in two FA Cups victories and was a regular player on a Champions League stage.
Walcott
spoke of Messi:
“We played Barcelona quite a lot and Messi asked for my shirt. I thought, ‘Wow, the greatest player in the world is asking for my shirt!’ I’ve got no words for that.”
It is confirmed to be a long way from
Arsenal
, with a former favorite saying:
“We were too nice. Then we won a few FA Cups and got in the Champions League a lot.
“At times, that felt like it was good enough for Arsenal. It felt like a bit of a medal. As players, we wanted to win things, but the club were happy to finish fourth.
“When Leicester won the league and we were the only team to beat them twice, that was the year we should’ve done something. That was the year Arsenal should’ve won it.”
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