Martin Odegaard confesses to ‘annoying’ therapy as Arsenal star opens up
Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard has confessed his frustration at being labelled as the ‘kid’ during his time at Real Madrid.
The 25-year-old Norwegian star steered the Gunners to a 2-0 triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers in their Premier League season opener. However, before donning the captain’s armband at the Emirates, Odegaard grappled with finding his footing at the Bernabeu.
Back in 2015, Odegaard was thrust into the limelight when he transferred from Stromgodset to Los Blancos, aged just 16. Despite this, he never truly got his break in the Spanish capital and following loan spells at Heerenveen, Vitesse Arnhem and Real Sociedad, Arteta brought Odegaard to Arsenal on loan in January 2021, before making the move permanent six months later.
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Now that he’s shed his ‘wonderkid’ label, Odegaard has reflected on his early days at Real Madrid, admitting that the constant references to him as an emerging star used to irk him. The midfield pass master made the revelation while in conversation with Arsenal’s youngest ever player, Ethan Nwaneri.
The Gunners’ academy whizz-kid etched his name in history in 2022 when he debuted against Brentford at a tender age of 15, reports the Mirror. During their chat on Arsenal’s official YouTube page, Nwaneri quizzed Odegaard on how he coped with pundits, reporters and fans incessantly discussing his age.
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The young Norwegian talent opened up about his early career struggles, saying: “It was annoying. Everyone just saw me as the young kid and you just want to be looked at as a normal player. I think it’s normal as well when you play at such a young age, it comes with a bit more attention.
“But as soon as you get older, and get more minutes, I think people start to forget your age and see your quality. They don’t care too much about your age and that’s the main thing.”
During his stint with Real Madrid, Odegaard had limited opportunities, making only 11 appearances. Reflecting on the significance of his move to the Spanish giants, he remarked: “I think when I came to Madrid and when I started training with the first team.
“All the big players were there like Ronaldo, Benzema and Bale. To just walk in there, in the dressing room and then go on the pitch with them and see their qualities. They were such unreal moments.”
Having advanced considerably since then, Odegaard has emerged as a standout midfielder for Arsenal, delivering an impressive tally last season with 11 goals and 11 assists across 48 competitions playing a pivotal role as the Gunners narrowly missed out on the top Premier League spot to Manchester City by just two points.