Former child prodigy has already been written off
The resurrection of Odegaard
Martin Odegaard is only 24 years young. The start of his career was characterized by superlatives. Then came the decline. He has since blossomed into a top performer at Arsenal.
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Martin Ödegaard has asserted himself on the big stage.
Carlo Emanuele FrezzaReporter football
What hasn’t Martin Ödegaard already been called? Talent of the century, child prodigy, exceptional talent. In the summer of 2014, all top European clubs were courting the young Norwegian, who made his national team debut at the age of 15. In the end, Real Madrid won the race. Los Blancos offered him a €3.5m wage.
It was only logical that expectations had definitely skyrocketed from this point on. Time Magazine included him in its list of the 30 most influential teenagers in the world. Hardly any other teen transfer in the history of football has been so hyped. It all sounded way too good to be true.
Countless rental stations
Arriving in Madrid, Odegaard was allowed to train with the first team. But he didn’t have a realistic chance of being used. Nevertheless, it was enough for a debut – in the very last game of the 2014/15 season. Some therefore mockingly called it a marketing campaign. As the youngest Real professional in history, he was allowed to play for half an hour, substituting for Cristiano Ronaldo. But from that moment on, the young Norwegian’s career went downhill instead of up.
Real Madrid loaned Odegaard out year after year. Once to Heerenveen, then to Arnhem on Vitesse and finally to San Sebastian on Real Sociedad. He didn’t really make an impact anywhere. He was only able to leave some traces in northern Spain. But everywhere he lagged behind the great expectations.
The Resurrection in London
In the winter of 2021, Odegaard joined Arsenal on loan, only to definitely become a Gunner in the summer for €35m. And suddenly he began to mature. Under coach Mikel Arteta, he has blossomed from talent to top performer in just a few months. As with the Gunners, he is now the captain of the Norwegian national team. In both teams, he is an integral part of the attacking midfield.
He has already contributed 7 goals and 5 assists this season. Thanks in part to him, Arsenal are leading the Premier League. Instead of being ridiculed, the former child prodigy is admired again. Not many believed in such a turning point. But what is particularly remarkable about the whole story is that Odegaard is only 24 years old. In other words, he still has countless years as a footballer ahead of him. In any case, he is definitely no longer a marketing footballer. And its market value is now over 60 million euros.
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