How the football Gods conspired to deny Walcott hero status at Arsenal

Theo Walcott scored 108 goals in just under 400 appearances for Arsenal but for a variety of reasons won’t be remembered as a club legend. Yet it could have all been so different.

In 2008, Arsenal were paired with Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The first leg ended 1-1 at the Emirates Stadium, but any sniff of an away goal advantage was eliminated when Abou Diaby struck early at Anfield, before a Sami Hyypiä equaliser effectively left the game as a 45-minute shootout.

Fernando Torres had put Liverpool in front midway through the second half, and Arsenal responded by introducing Theo Walcott in a move which so nearly paid dividends.

Unfortunately for Walcott, for the second time that season he made a contribution which could have earned him cult hero status but was ultimately rendered meaningless.

You see, a player’s popularity with his fanbase can often come down not just to the number of goals he scores, but the importance of those goals.

As an example, Jesse Lingard’s status among the Old Trafford faithful – at least for a while – was boosted no end by winners in the 2016 FA Cup final, the 2007 League Cup final, and his brace in the 3-1 win at Emirates Stadium.

But Walcott seemed destined not to enjoy such luck.

His first Arsenal goal came in the 2007 League Cup final, giving his team an early lead. It could have been a watershed moment had Didier Drogba not turned things around with a brace, his second goal arriving in the last 10 minutes.

His first league goals for the club would arrive the following February, both in the space of five minutes against Birmingham City.

The game had begun with a sickening injury to team-mate Eduardo, so for Walcott to emerge from his team-mate’s shadow and hand