Arsenal icon admits Liverpool star brought a tear to his eye with what he did

Theo Walcott was moved to tears as Rio Ngumoha netted his first Premier League goal for Liverpool. He also claimed it reminded him of his own early career.

The promising youngster, just three days shy of his 17th birthday, came off the bench in the 96th minute during Liverpool's match against Newcastle United at St James' Park. With the score level at 2-2, it took Ngumoha just four minutes to make his mark and secure a victory for the reigning Premier League champions, finding himself unmarked in the box and expertly firing past a helpless Nick Pope.

Walcott, speaking on alongside Rebecca Lowe and Taylor Twellman, shared the emotional impact of watching the young player's dream come true. He said: "For Rio, I actually had a tear.

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"I had a tear in my eyes when he scored because I just felt... it reminded me of myself going back all those years thinking, 'Bud, you've got incredible years ahead. Just enjoy this moment, don't think about tomorrow.'

"That's the one thing I will say. I don't know Taylor if you'll agree with this, but I always feel like footballers don't tend to really enjoy now. They always do that cliche think about the next game. No, enjoy it, because it doesn't happen often."

Twellman said: "Because you don't know when your last game is going to be Theo, you don't know," before Walcott added: "Exactly. It's just such a cliche but it was a kid's dream, he's just lived it.

"And it's a shame he was at - not a shame he was at St James' Park, because the Liverpool fans are right up with the gods, aren't they? So he didn't know quite where to go.

"But what I really loved was his team-mates' reaction on him because they feel it as well for him. And I think we can all relate to that kid in us can't we? And I think he brought that out in everyone that night, particularly Liverpool fans, of course."

Following the bulk of his youth development at Chelsea, Ngumoha switched to Liverpool's academy last summer before earning his chance to train alongside Arne Slot's senior squad in the autumn. The teenager made his first-team debut during a 4-0 FA Cup win against Accrington Stanley in January, becoming the youngest player ever to start a match for the club at just 16 years and 135 days old, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Whilst Ngumoha faces an uphill battle to secure Premier League starts for Liverpool given the attacking talent of Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike, Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak, he remains a promising prospect that Slot will be keeping a keen eye on moving forward. Like Ngumoha, Walcott also began his career at Southampton as a teenager, making his first-team debut in a goalless Championship match against Wolves in 2005 when he was just 16 years and 143 days old.

His full debut came in a 2-1 loss to Leeds United, where he became the club's youngest-ever goalscorer after playing for 25 minutes. Arsenal spotted his potential and snapped him up for a fee of around £5million plus add-ons in January 2006, and the now 36-year-old left an indelible mark on the club over the next 12 years.

During his time with the Gunners, Walcott scored 108 goals and provided 70 assists in 397 appearances, before moving to Everton in 2018. After a three-year stint at Goodison Park, Walcott returned to Southampton for one final dance, before hanging up his boots in 2023. He also scored eight goals in 47 outings for England.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are set to return to Premier League action post the international break this Sunday, as they head to Turf Moor to face newly-promoted Burnley. With three wins from three games so far, Slot will be hoping for more of the same from his team when league action resumes.

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