Live broadcast on August 18 news Walcott made public his decision to reject the invitation from the Saudi league. The former winger of Arsenal, Everton and Southampton made 47 appearances on behalf of the England national team, which has ended his 18-year career and made 563 appearances for the club in total.
He was interviewed by Gary Neville and announced his decision to retire: “I’m going to officially hanging boots. This is terrible. I can’t lie. This is terrible, because football is everything I have known since I was 16 or even younger. As you can see in the video above.”
“I wanted to try new things. When I was a child, I had never experienced something because I was forced to enter a world with no choice. Besides talent and desire, I missed a lot. I’m not saying I’m going to do anything crazy, but I want to experience life, you know, for me, everything is centered on football, and it’s still the case, but it can also turn to other places.”
“I have received some foreign invitations and some very good championship teams. There are some Saudi quotations, but I don’t want to see myself playing There (There’s been some Saudi offers, but that’s not where I want to see myself playing). I’m not against money or the league. I just think if I don’t want to play now, then it’s unfair to the club and me. If I didn’t have 100% investment, I wouldn’t win a contract for myself, which is not suitable for me.”
“It’s not that I no longer love games, it’s just that my heart can’t be fully devoted to the weekly games, training and preseason. This is nothing to me. Many people will think that I still have a lot of things to do, and I started playing at the end of the season. Yes, I’m in the team, but I kind of like the fact that I stay in Southampton, so it’s good for me. My last goal is against Arsenal. For me, this is a wonderful moment and I am proud of it.”
“I want to enter the media industry, and we will wait and see. I enjoy this aspect very much. I like to analyze matches and teams. Moreover, I have different opinions on this generation. I have also played in your generation, you are older than me.”
(eagle)