Martin Odegaard is an attacking midfielder who plays for Arsenal and Norway. Born on December 17, 1998, in Drammen, Norway, Odegaard began his football journey as a child, with a talent that surpassed that of his peers.
Odegaard joined the local club Drammen Strong at the age of 4. At the age of eight, he joined Stromsgodset Academy, a Norwegian professional football club.
Odegaard made his first-team debut for Stromsgodset at the age of 15, becoming the youngest player to ever play in the Norwegian league.
Odegaard’s performance quickly attracted the attention of major European clubs. In January 2015, he joined Real Madrid at the age of 16. Odegaard hopes to become one of the best players in the world.
Despite being a prodigy, Odegaard still faced many difficulties at Real Madrid. He could not compete with seasoned stars at the Bernabeu and was loaned to many clubs such as Heerenveen, Vitesse (Netherlands), or Real Sociedad (Spain). During his time with Real Sociedad, Odegaard really caught up with the top football environment and shined. He played an important role in helping the club win tickets to the Europa League and was named the team’s “Player of the Season”.
Odegaard is a skillful and sophisticated attacking midfielder. His forte is holding the ball, has good eyesight, and knows how to hit the right passes. Odegaard also has an impressive dribbling ability and often beats opponents in head-to-head matches.
Odegaard signed for Arsenal on loan in January 2021. He scored his first Arsenal goal in a 3–1 win over Olympiacos in the Europa League. The Norwegian midfielder quickly proved his talent and won a starting spot. Impressed with Odegaard, Phap Thu officially recruited him in August 2021.
Odegaard played for the Norwegian national team at the age of 15 and became the youngest player ever to make his debut for this team.
Although only 24 years old, Odegaard has had a successful career. He played for the big clubs in Europe and impressed everyone with his technical and creative play. Moving to Arsenal was the correct decision for Odegaard to have a turning point in his career. He is also playing an important role in the Gunners’ race to the Premier League title in the 2022-23 season.
And here are 13 interesting facts about Odegaard that you probably didn’t know…!
Talent does not wait for age
Odegaard is considered a football prodigy. He was once noticed by the whole of Europe thanks to his ability to hold the ball very “sticky”. The midfielder made his debut for the Norwegian national team at the age of 15, in a goalless draw with the UAE in 2014.
He scored the first goal for Norway in the match against Romania in the Euro 2020 qualifying round. Currently, Odegaard has made 47 appearances for the national team and was given the captain’s armband.
Father and son Odegaard joined Real Madrid at the same time
Odegaard’s father – Mr. Hans Erik Odegaard does not have an illustrious football career like his son. However, this father and son came together to work for Real Madrid. In January 2015, Mr. Hans Erik Odegaard became Real Madrid’s youth team coach, while Martin played for the team.
Despite his lack of reputation both as a player and as a manager, Hans Erik Odegaard is a master negotiator. Although he only coached Real Madrid’s young players, Martin’s father is said to earn more money than the legendary Zinedine Zidane – who was leading the U23 team at that time.
An ‘unusual’ contract with Heerenveen
In 2017, Odegaard could not make it into the first team of Real Madrid and was loaned to Heerenveen to get more playing time.
Although sometimes not playing well, the Norwegian midfielder is often present in the starting line-up of Heerenveen.
The reason is that Odegaard’s loan contract has a clause that forces Heerenveen to pay Real Madrid 40,000 euros/time, if the midfielder plays from the bench.
Therefore, instead of spending 40,000 euros for Los Blancos, the Dutch team let Odegaard play from the start.
Barca is faster but empty-handed
According to many sources, Barcelona approached the Norwegian prodigy before Real Madrid entered.
Odegaard even went to Barca to visit and practice. In January 2016, he was offered a contract by the ‘Catalan giants’.
“Barcelona invited us to La Masia,” former Norwegian football scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen told Cadena SER. “We met [Andoni] Zubizarreta and were invited to Camp Nou to watch games against Ajax.”
“Barcelona is a great club. However, the Odegaard father and son considered many factors before making a decision.”
Unfortunately! Barcelona was fined with a transfer ban in 2016. This led Odegaard to choose to join the great rival Real Madrid.
Odegaard is rewarded with a fish
Unable to squeeze into Real Madrid’s first team, Odegaard was loaned to many teams, before returning to Spain to play for Real Sociedad.
Shine brighter than expected! Odegaard became a mainstay in Sociedad’s midfield.
Thanks to his outstanding performances, the Norwegian midfielder was named La Liga’s ‘September Player of the Month’. Not only did he have a medal from the tournament, but Odegaard was also brought to the supermarket by Real Sociedad and rewarded with a large fish.
Fan Lionel Messi since childhood
Despite playing with many Real Madrid stars and being coached by the legendary Zinedine Zidane, Odegaard’s idol is a Barcelona player.
The Norwegian player is said to be a huge fan of Lionel Messi. Odegaard’s coach as a child – Herald Johannessen revealed this secret.
Mr. Johannessen told These Football Times in 2019. “He’s a Messi fan. It’s weird, isn’t it!? He loves Messi but went to Real Madrid.
“I still remember him always keeping his eyes on Messi.”
Youngest player ever to debut for Real Madrid
The Norwegian midfielder joined Real Madrid shortly after his 16th birthday.
He made his Los Blancos debut in May 2015, when he came on as a substitute for legendary Cristiano Ronaldo in a 7-3 win over Getafe.
Odegaard became the youngest player ever to play for Real Madrid’s first team, at the age of 16 years and 157 days. This record still stands at the club to this day.
Odegaard admires Rafael Nadal
Odegaard once shared that Nadal is his favorite athlete because of his strong determination, work ethic, and sportsmanship.
Odegaard also shared that Nadal’s steel spirit has inspired him to rise up in his career as a player.
The midfielder has been to many matches of the Spanish tennis star, including the French Open. The duo admires each other, despite playing different sports.
Was a big fan of Ole as a kid!
Growing up in Norway, Odegaard is a huge fan of former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. It is understandable because Ole is one of the best players Norwegian football has ever had.
And when becoming the manager of Manchester United, Solskjaer has many times praised Odegaard. He called his juniors ‘a very talented young player’ before the confrontation between MU and Arsenal.
Contract with Adidas
As a star midfielder, Odegaard has numerous endorsement deals, one of which is with Adidas.
Adidas is a world-famous sports fashion brand. The partnership with Odegaard allows it to increase its marketing capabilities and influence its fans.
As part of the contract, Odegaard always wears Adidas items, from social networks, in interviews, press conferences to events.
