Arsene Wenger says he’s not surprised to hear that Theo Walcott is now a Guinness World Record holder although he admits he wouldn’t necessarily have guessed the striker’s ball control would secure him such a feat.
The England international secured his place in the annual book of human achievements by bringing a football under control after it was dropped from a height of 34 metres, beating the previous record, held by professional freestyle footballer John Farworth, by two metres.
Here’s what the boss had to say on the matter on Friday. We sense the irony of Walcott of all people getting the plaudits is not lost on him.
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Journalist: Theo Walcott has become a world record holder…
AW: Yes…does that surprise you?
Does it surprise you?
No…It was not necessarily for what I expected him to be a world record holder. It’s true that when you take a ball from a crane and beat the distance and all these super skilful players, you need a super touch.
Were you watching? Did you see it?
No, I didn’t see it.
Are you impressed by what he did, controlling a ball from 34 metres?
Of course. I think you need to do four touches [to bring the ball under control]. It’s absolutely great. He has a great focus capacity does Theo. Of course, he’s more known for his pace, for the quality of his runs and the quality of his finishing and less for the technical skill. It shows that he has that in his locker.
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You can watch Walcott becoming the record-holder for “highest altitude football dropped and controlled” below.
I’d love to see Ozil attempt this challenge.
For Ozil they’ll drop it from space.
He’d cushion it perfectly, flick it back up and catch it on his neck, all while live instagramming it and signing his new contract at the same time!
You forgot the subsequent perfectly-weighted assist from the outside of his neck to the tip of Giroud’s forehead.
…. While assisting Matthew Famini save the world
You can praise Theo for it instead of deflecting it to benefit Ozil. It doesn’t cost money to praise.
Surely Walcott would have won a record for number of pointless positions taken up on a pitch last season?
It would just stick to his chest if Alexis had a go!
Now to break records in the league this season Theo #COYG
Wait I thought Theo already hold the record of “The longest a football player not touching the football while on the pitch”.
I’d have expected Theo to run straight into the crane and collapse
But this is Theo 2.0! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCPE9jH9A2U
When did he learn to run past defenders with the ball?
How did he learn to run past defenders with the ball?
I knew he had put in a lot of effort to improve himself, particularly with his defensive efforts, but watching this video!! He’s so different to Theo 1.0. He’s a true LANS.
Danny Crane
‘no, I didn’t see it’
Lol
You beat me to it!
Santi could do it with either foot from 50 metres plus, even with his injury!
Alexis would cushion it with his chest.
Someone told him he could have a new contract if he did it
Other world record I expect some of our boys to break at some point in their respective careers:
Mustafi for most cheeky reactions to the ref without getting booked
Ramsey for most sarcastic smiles per 90 minutes
Bellerin – most times being mistaken for The Flash on a football pitch
Ozil – largest angle between the direction of a footballer’s head and that of an inch-perfect 30-yard through ball
Alexis – Most times mentioning his dogs after scoring a brace
Giroud – most handsome footballer in the history of time
Yeah, but can he do it with Mourinho’s head?
Surely you’d just let him hit the floor
Why? You’d miss the opportunity to then kick Mourinho in the head five times and get a world record for it.
I can see the benefits in that option
Ozil will break his record by controlling chewing gum dropped from that height.
I was so transfixed with this video that I didn’t turn the soundtrack off until two minutes in!
He looks decent this bloke, we should buy him………spend some fukking money Wangar!!!! 🙂
I thought this was another one of Blog’s joke news posts until I saw the video.
I’m just glad he didn’t get injured doing it!
Well baited “I didn’t see it”, journalist.