After being released in 2006 – the same year as the World Cup in Germany – the game was played religiously by football fanatics across the globe.
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Football has always been blessed with several wonder kids, who have graced the stage from a young age with unlimited potential. Normally, professional footballers reach their peak around the mid-20s. However, time and again, a wonder kid enters the scene, firing on all cylinders from the start. Then the race begins to sign the boy wonder. Some clubs try to sign these stars at a young age, well before they hit the big stage, purely to save the transfer cost.
However, not every one of these talented players goes on to fulfill their potential. Quite a few of those players never reach their maximum potential and end up having an average career. With EA Sports’ football games grabbing plenty of spotlight over the last couple of decades, fans were able to get a glimpse of these potential future stars. They were able to get a good sense of which players are considered the next big thing in the sport after playing those games.
The 2007 version of FIFA was one of the most popular games in its series. After being released in 2006 – the same year as the World Cup in Germany – the game was played religiously by football fanatics across the globe. That popular version had so many things to do in the game, keeping their users hugely invested in it. In the FIFA 07 career mode, the gamers could get a glimpse of the potential future stars.
One such player who stood out was Theo Walcott. As a teenager, Walcott was labeled as the next big thing in world football. He had tremendous potential and many people predicted him to have a long and successful career for Arsenal and England national team. However, the pacy winger was never able to fully reach his potential. He had shown glimpses of promise for both club and country but was never able to achieve his true ability.
In FIFA 07, Theo Walcott was undoubtedly one of the most sought-after players. At just 17 years of age then, Walcott already had an impressive 76 overall rating – not the rating young players would often get in the game. But his potential at that period was so high, that the game developers decided to give him such an enormous rating. His overall rating could reportedly rise as high as 93, making him one of the stars of the game.
One of his distinctive features was his pace. Walcott had an immense acceleration of 92, sprint speed of 94 and dribbling of 77, making him one of the quickest in the game. Among others, his ball control was at 78, reactions at 82 and stamina at 84. In the game, Walcott’s position was mentioned as a striker but he maintained the same rating even when he was deployed on the wings, making him the perfect addition to any side’s frontline.
(Overall Rating: 76, Potential: 93)
| SL No | Key Attributes | Rating |
| 1 | Acceleration | 92 |
| 2 | Sprint Speed | 94 |
| 3 | Dribbling | 77 |
| 4 | Reactions | 82 |
| 5 | Ball Control | 78 |
| 6 | Stamina | 84 |
When Walcott burst onto the scene, he primarily operated as a winger. Gifted with electric pace and close ball control, the youngster made lives difficult for defenders in wide areas. However, what he lacked was the end product. After doing all the hard work by getting into the right positions or beating the defenders, Walcott failed to consistently deliver the final pass or shot, leaving the supporters frustrated on numerous occasions.
| SL No | Level | Matches | Goals | Assists |
| 1 | Club | 567 | 132 | 88 |
| 2 | International | 47 | 8 | 8 |
Later in his career, he also started playing as a striker. While he did enjoy some joy up front by scoring important goals, Walcott was unable to truly establish himself as the main focal point up front. Walcott, who played for Premier League outfits such as Arsenal, Everton and Southampton, scored a total of 132 goals and registered 88 assists in his club career.
While the record is not bad, given his potential, a lot more was expected of him at the very beginning of his career. Walcott, who famously made it to England’s squad in the 2006 World Cup as a 17-year-old, never managed to reach the heights expected of him. He finally retired from the sport in August 2023.
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