Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has now claimed that he was capable of one thing that neither Thierry Henry or Bukayo Saka could manage.
Theo Walcott was famed for his pace in his Arsenal days.
At his peak, the 35-year-old was absolutely rapid. His searing pace was a weapon that he regularly deployed to terrorise opposition defences on his way to racking up 108 goals for the Gunners in 397 appearances, across all competitions.
There were flaws in Walcott’s game, as his finishing was unreliable and his crossing was inconsistent, but his speed meant that he always provided a dangerous outlet for the Gunners to exploit.
Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott makes bold claim about his pace
The 47-cap former England international was on the books in North London between 2006 and 2018. However, in 2023 he returned to haunt his former club, as he scored a goal for Southampton which damaged Mikel Arteta’s side’s Premier League title push. Walcott recently confessed that many Arsenal fans still haven’t forgiven him for that strike.
Now, looking back on his career, Walcott has had his say on which players he was quicker than at his peak.
Speaking to Nubaid Haroon in a video posted on X, the ex-Arsenal man was presented with a list of stars to pit his speed against. Walcott claimed to have been faster than the likes of Gareth Bale, Kylian Mbappe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, Micky van de Ven, Vinicius Jr, and Marcus Rashford.
How does Theo Walcott measure up against Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Thierry Henry?
In terms of current Arsenal stars, Walcott claimed that he could outpace both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. However, Ben White actually recorded the quickest sprint speed in an Arsenal shirt this season.
When it came to Gunners icon Thierry Henry, Walcott stated: “I beat Thierry Henry’s record when I was at Arsenal, so definitely me. That’s actually a fact.”
Out of the twenty names put to him, Walcott conceded that just three would have the edge on him in a race, with that trio comprising of Adama Traore, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Kyle Walker.
With his blistering speed, Martinelli can provide a similar impact in the current Arsenal side that Walcott once offered. The Brazilian winger just endured a somewhat disappointing campaign, but will be desperate to get back to his best and remind everyone just how impactful he can be next time around.