Today, as Arsenal captain, Martin Odegaard is a key part of the Gunners side as they strive to win the Premier League title. His performances have put him into the overall contention, making the final 30-nominee cut for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, but on joining Arsenal on loan in 2021, he faced criticism from those at his old club, Real Madrid – where he was struggling to get first team action – who called into question his mentality.
The doubt came from former Madrid player, manager, sporting director and winner of the 1986 World Cup with Argentina, Jorge Valdano, who said:
“I don’t think that Odegaard has played badly. Perhaps he was a bit conservative when it came to him, maybe he lacked some more daring actions, but he also lacked patience to continue at Real Madrid.
“I am more concerned about his mentality. It is not worthy of a Real Madrid player to leave your place, not have that patience. It’s not just any player ahead of him.”
Odegaard found it difficult to get game time at Real Madrid
Yet the Norweigan impressed on loan at Real Sociedad
Odegaard moved to Spain aged just 16 when Real Madrid signed him, initially playing for their reserve side. Several season-long loan moves followed, firstly to Heerenveen and Vitesse in the Netherlands, then to Real Sociedad, where he made 36 appearances for the club in the 2019/20 season, scoring in a two-nil win over Atletico Madrid.
He helped the Spanish club reach the Copa del Rey final, which they won, but the Norweigan missed the game, as the Covid-19 pandemic delayed it by a year, by which time his loan had finished. Compared to 118 appearances made in total in Holland and for Sociedad, Odegaard made just 11 for the Real Madrid first team and they were stretched out over seven years.
His most productive season in Spain’s capital came in the 2020/21 season, when he made seven appearances for the club. Rather tellingly, not one of them was for 90 minutes. With Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the Madrid line-up, it was very tough for Odegaard to get game time. However, he’d already shown enough of his ability in La Liga the season before at Sociedad
Odegaard has flourished under Arteta
The Arsenal skipper is one of the names being considered for the Ballon d’Or
Initially joining Arsenal on loan, Odegaard made himself popular with Gunners’ fans by scoring in the North London derby against Spurs. Then in August 2021, the London club paid an initial £30 for the player, who has not looked back since. Mikel Arteta made Odegaard Arsenal skipper for the 2022/23 season and explained the decision:
“What I’ve seen over the last 18 months he’s been at the club with us – he represents the values of this football club, of this team, of his teammates and staff in the best possible way. His desire and ambition to take this club to a different level, to push this team, to contribute. And as well the way he’s respected by everybody inside this organisation.”
Odegaard’s performances in the Arsenal midfield have caught the eye, controlling the tempo of games with his incisive passing that is able to quickly turn defence into attack. Under his captaincy, Arsenal pushed Manchester City for the title, ending the season five points short in second place.
Martin Odegaard Arsenal stats | |
|---|---|
Club appearances | 156 |
Club goals | 35 |
Club assists | 25 |
The following season, he again inspired the club to a second-place finish in the Premier League, this time finishing with 89 points, the same tally City won the league with the previous season, but still three points off the title. Odegaard will now be looking to recover from his ankle injury, lead the Gunners to silverware, and perhaps gain some personal accolades on the way in the shape of the Ballon d’Or.
Stats via Transfermarkt – correct as of 18/10/2024.