For the former Arsenal forward was back at Southampton, ending his career where it had started, when the now-Newcastle full-back was breaking through.
He saw the fast and talented wing-back emerge onto the scene. He saw the heartbreak of the ACL injury. And he saw how Livramento reacted and recovered.
And when it comes to looking ahead to the future, Walcott can see Livramento captaining England.
Newcastle’s defender is currently away in Slovakia with the Under-21s at the European Championships, where he was named Man of the Match in England’s opening 3-1 win over the Czech Republic on Thursday night.
And Walcott, who is part of Channel 4’s coverage of the U21 European Championship, isn’t at all surprised to see his former teammate shining on the international stage.
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“I could tell he was going to be a very good Premier League player, but he’s even better than I thought he could be,” said Walcott of Livramento.
“He had a massive injury of course and I always feel injuries can make or break people, they really can.
“His work ethic in that injury process was second to none, it was incredible. Someone could have sulked about things but he was the first one there, I’m not even just saying it, and the last one to leave because he’d always want to put in more work.
“You just knew [he’d make it]. He’d take on information and he’s such a good listener. He’s very quiet but he really listens well and I think it’s hard to get that balance.
“When you get an injury like that you can feel sorry for yourself but he actually thought “it’s an opportunity for myself to do other things and build on myself” and he obviously got his move to Newcastle.”
With Lewis Hall out injured, Livramento moved from the right side of the defence to the left for Newcastle in the final months of the season and was hugely impressive. And it’s on the left where he’s being used by Under-21s boss Lee Carsley in Slovakia.
Walcott said: “I like him on left, he’s kind of a right-footed Gareth Bale in stature and the way he runs and I feel like he’d be the perfect wing-back for me.
“At no point in training, and I always used to remember this, at no point did I think about going up against him. There’s just no point. I’m a bit older and he’s physically stronger. I’m quick still but I thought, ‘why am I going to test myself against someone who is physically in a better position than me?’
“I did the same with Kyle Walker when I was playing. Look, there is no point testing myself against him, I’ll go and use my skills somewhere else to play and that’s the stature and how highly I rate him in a one-v-one situation.
“If you look at [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka and how he defends this guy is even better than him and going forward, that technique on the ball. Then the Newcastle factor and working with Eddie Howe, English, that whole community of English guys around him, I think that’s part of why Thomas Tuchel feels it’s important for him to be at this tournament.
“He is a potential [England] future captain, just because of his presence and how he is around the place.
“As a player he’s got the potential to be that leader and they just want more of that because they can see it in him, I could see it in him. You need a little bit more out of him and this tournament can bring a side out of him that he’s not used to.”
Livramento’s inclusion in the Under-21s squad was perhaps surprising given the senior shortage of left-backs, but boss Lee Carsley says the Newcastle man is thrilled to be part of his group.
“He’s a great kid. He’s a brilliant lad,” said Carsley, ahead of England’s second group game against Slovenia on Sunday evening.
“You just want players like that to do really well. He’s had some tough times in the past with injuries. He’s kept going.
“We spoke the other day and he’s so excited to play in this tournament. It’s his first tournament for England. We believe that if we can have success in these kind of tournaments and these kind of experiences, it’s going to help the seniors in the long term. That’s got to be his goal.
“He’s playing in the senior team and he’s definitely got the capabilities to do that. Playing at Newcastle as well, left back, right back. The more options he can give a manager, the better for the team.”