‘I Was Rotting on the Bench at Real Madrid but now I Could win the Ballon d’Or’

In the last three years, Martin Odegaard has asserted himself as one of the finest playmakers in both the Premier League and Europe. The last two seasons have seen him captain Arsenal to push Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to the final knockings of their title-clinching seasons. So effective have the 25-year-old’s efforts in the Gunners’ creative midfield, that his slick goal and assist-grabbing style has earned him a Ballon d’Or nomination for this year’s gala.

But it wasn’t always an upward trajectory for the Norwegian captain. His move at just 15 to Real Madrid resulted in multiple loan moves and minimal opportunities at the Bernabeu for the mercurial midfielder. But having found a home at Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in 2021, Odegaard hasn’t looked back.

Stepping Onto the Scene with Stromgodset

Baby-faced Odegaard had Madridista scouts on strings

Before there was even a mention of Erling Haaland, 2014 introduced another exciting Norwegian prospect to the top level sporting sphere in the shape of 15-year-old Martin Odegaard. While he had been revealed to a wider audience, he had been known in his home country for several years at this point, as at just 13 years old, Odegaard trained with the Stromsgodset first team in 2012.

In 2014, Odegaard would make his league debut. At the age of just 15 years and 118 days, he became the youngest footballer ever to play in Tippeligaen, and had big clubs on the continent wary of his every move. Such was the furor around the youngster’s skills, his performances in his first term had the Norwegian newspapers asking whether he should be called up to the national squad.

At the end of his first full season (which ultimately reaped his first international cap at a record age of 15 years and 253 days), Odegaard had helped his team finish fourth in the league, registering five goals and seven assists in 23 league games. Training sessions with Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and a trip to Arsenal all followed, yet Odegaard agreed to sign for Real Madrid in January 2015 for approximately €4million. For this phenom, it seemed the world was his oyster. Unfortunately though, it wouldn’t be that simple.

First Team Struggles at the Bernabeu

Loans were the source of games for young Norwegian

In Odegaard’s Real Madrid career, the young man seemed more like a novelty than a raw talent to be nurtured. The talent was there – yet with stuttering performances in his time with the Castilla side, as well as limited opportunity in the senior team, he struggled to make his. mark.

Add this to even weightier factors of trying to balance training with both, a language barrier, as well as settling in a new country – it seemed that if Odegaard wanted to express his ability, it needed to be away from Madrid. That said, the teen still showed some steely determination, saying regarding the pressure:

Thus, the 2017-18 season kicked off an array of loans for the Norwegian with a stint at Heerenveen. The return was average, yet provided valuable senior experience. He had a better go at the Eredivisie with Vitesse the following term, scoring eight and assisting 11 in the league, and reflected that he understood his role a lot better.

In accordance with his trajectory of form, 2019-20’s loan to fellow La Liga club Real Sociedad, saw him flourish once again. He grabbed seven goals and nine assists in 36 all-competition outings, and after playing just a handful of Real Madrid fixtures on his return (mainly from the bench), he decided it was time to leave for good in the 2021 winter transfer window.

At Home in North London

Odegaard has reached his potential at Arsenal

Looking back, given their paths had crossed before, it’s fitting that Martin Odegaard eventually signed for Arsenal. It also makes a lot of sense too, given San Sebastian native Mikel Arteta’s Real Sociedad roots, and no doubt, appreciation for a fellow-midfielder at the Basque club.

Initially joining on loan as the Gunners finished the 2020-21 season in eighth, Odegaard made his Premier League switch permanent in a deal worth €35million with potential add-ons rising to around €40million. With his most consistent numbers so far in a career where previously his longest stint with one club was just one season – Odegaard is foundation block for this Arsenal crop that pushed Manchester City to the very end. He has brilliant football intelligence, a deft touch, and, with his captaincy, has shown a level of maturity to lead his team.

Arteta himself has made it clear multiple times how important Odegaard is to the ball-controlling, pressing unit that he has built with the Gunners. Back in 2021, he notably said:

Statistics retrieved from Transfermarkt, accurate as of 25/09/24