On The Players’ Tribune, midfielder Martin Odegaard talks about dealing with pressure as a Norwegian football prodigy, explaining his decision to join Real at the age of 16 and his special connection to Arsenal.
“I’ve always had a strange connection with Arsenal. It all started long before I joined the club. I don’t even know how to explain it, except for a little story,” Odegaard began. Article on The Players’ Tribune.
Odegaard was born in 1998, belongs to the generation that always wants to go out to play with friends his age or play football, instead of sitting at home playing video games. But one exception is the popular football video game FIFA by EA Sports, with a management mode (Career Mode). “Here, you know, you can become a coach. And the club that I always choose to manage is Arsenal. That’s my team in this game,” the Norwegian midfielder said.
As a child, like many children who were passionate about football, Odegaard always watched the Premier League and was impressed with Arsenal’s unbeaten squad in the 2003-2004 season. He also watched films of Thierry Henry, then followed Arsenal closely in the following years with playmakers like Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri or Mesut Ozil. “Those are players who are really smart, technical, hold the ball well and have the ability to make creative passes. Those are my favorite types of players,” Odegaard said.
“As I got older, around 2015, I started appearing in FIFA,” continued the 24-year-old midfielder. “At first I didn’t look like me in real life, and I got a score of 67. But I got into the game and that’s very important. So, naturally, one of the first things I did. When you pretend to be Arsene Wenger, you bring yourself back to Arsenal. Haha! Me and Arsenal, I think it’s a good combination.”
That special connection became a reality when Odegaard joined Arsenal two years ago. It was a decision that changed his life. He walks into practice with a smile every day. But his story is certainly not like in the video game, and this is a very different journey than what he imagined in FIFA. “In real life, you can’t just choose where you want to go and everything will be perfect,” Odegaard writes.