Theo Walcott: I cried when Fabio Capello dropped me from England's World Cup squad

05 August 2010 11:20
Theo Walcott has admitted he cried following Fabio Capello's shock decision to omit him from the England World Cup squad this summer.   [LNB]Walcott had been expected to be at the forefront of Capello's plans to win a first world title since 1966.   [LNB] Bitter blow: Walcott admits he cried after he was omitted from Capello's squad [LNB]The Italian, however, decided to exclude Walcott from his 23-man party, controversially opting to take Manchester City's Shaun Wright-Phillips ahead of the Arsenal man.   [LNB]Walcott was playing golf with a friend and his cousin when Capello gave the 21-year-old the bad news, a moment which he rates as the biggest disappointment of his career to date.  [LNB]'I had the day off so I was on the golf course and I got the phone call,' Walcott told www.arsenal.com.   [LNB]'He just said, 'I'm sorry. I'm not going to bring you to South Africa, but I'll see you in 2012 for the Euros.'   [LNB] Back on track: Walcott has vowed to put his World Cup snub behind him [LNB]'I didn't know what to say at all. He said, 'have a good break and good luck. I'll see you soon.' I wished him all the best.  [LNB]'There are always disappointments in football, this was my biggest one yet,' he added. 'Obviously I was disappointed but I wanted the lads to do well because I am an England fan as well. I said 'good luck' and that was it.   [LNB]'I will always respect the manager's decision. If the boss at Arsenal leaves me out of a game, I am always disappointed and I show that. You can't be happy when you are not there. I always want to be there, no matter what happens.   [LNB]Thumbs up: Walcott is looking forward to the new season [LNB]'Actually, I did have a tear to be fair with my cousin and my mate. Then I played the best golf ever.'[LNB]Walcott endured a frustrating season at the Emirates Stadium last year, starting only 12 Barclays Premier League games thanks to a series of injuries.   [LNB]He is now confident that his time off this summer will help him have a strong season for both club and country.   [LNB]He continued: 'I was obviously very disappointed not to have made it, but now for the first time in a long time, I have been able to have a rest and a proper pre-season. [LNB]'The full pre-season will definitely help.  'It was an on-off season last season and it's difficult to come back from that. I would just get back and I'd get another injury. [LNB]'I was in double figures last season with injuries. Maybe last year I was thinking about it too much and I was being a bit too timid in games because I was thinking about injury.  [LNB]'This year I'm just going to get out there and show people what I can do. It's all I can do really.'   [LNB] Top Guns: Walcott has been impressed by the form of new-boy Chamakh and Wilshere [LNB]Walcott also revealed that he has been impressed with the addition of Marouane Chamakh and the performances of England prospect Jack Wilshere during pre-season.   [LNB]He said: 'I am really excited about the season ahead - we were pleased with winning the Emirates Cup last weekend and it's good to see players like Jack Wilshere coming through and playing so well. [LNB]'It is also exciting to see new players like Marouane Chamakh joining the squad.' [LNB]  Barnet 0 Arsenal 4: Walcott 'will prove England wrong', insists WengerArsenal winger Theo Walcott praying for injury-free season to remind Fabio Capello and Arsene Wenger of his talentsWant Spahic? He'll cost Arsenal £25m, insist defender's Montpellier bossesARSENAL FC

Source: Daily_Mail