Theo Walcott has revealed which Premier League legend he models his game after, claiming he always preferred playing as a striker.
Walcott hung up his boots in August 2023 after a successful career that saw him play for the likes of Arsenal, Everton and Southampton.
He made his name for the Gunners after making 397 appearances and scoring 108 goals during his time in North London.
While his numbers are impressive, he could have made the most of his time in football with more goals to his name had he not played primarily as a winger.
Now Walcott has revealed that he did indeed want to play in the top flight and revealed which top legend he has modeled his game after.
Walcott told Sky Sports: “I saw Michael Owen, he was my idol when he went into football. When I saw him against Argentina in ’98, I shaped my game around him.
Theo Walcott reflected on his game during a recent appearance on Sky Sports
The former England international spent 12 years at Arsenal before leaving
He revealed that Michael Owen (left) was the player he tried to model his game after
‘They were very similar styles, I wanted to play up front, not the biggest stature but had raw pace and knew my strengths and wanted players to play to my strengths.
‘Sometimes I drift to the right, but then go back to the middle, and there are periods when people ask ‘what position are you in?’ I always wanted to play as a centre-forward.
“But then playing with a three, playing on your own with someone of my stature, it’s not ideal where the game was developing and the era of football was changing. It didn’t quite work in that sense, but there were places where I thought it could work.
‘I do (I think I could have scored more goals if I had played through the middle). What the defenders fear, and Jamie will back me here, is pure pace.
“When you have players who like to be runners against centre-backs, you are always on the move and I was that player, you could never keep your hands off me.
‘Sometimes I had the feeling that I wanted more (time) at the front, but I had that too [Robin] Van Persie to take the lead and of course we know how good he was.
“And I played some great seasons with him. But when I look back I think: yes, I should have gotten more matches beforehand.’
Walcott spent 12 years in the Arsenal first team before eventually leaving for Everton, where he scored 11 goals in three seasons at the club.
He would later join Southampton before deciding to hang up his boots.