Arsenal star Martin Odegaard names one major lesson from Real Madrid days

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Arsenal star Martin Odegaard has now reflected on his time at Real Madrid.

Arsenal club captain Martin Odegaard spent six years on the books at Real Madrid prior to his £30 million permanent switch to the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2021.

The La Liga giants initially signed the Norwegian ace for around £2.3 million in 2015 when he was just 16-years-old. Having represented Norway at senior international level as a 15-year-old, Odegaard went on to make his Real Madrid debut May 2015.

However, Odegaard was never able to truly establish himself at Real Madrid. He only managed 11 first team appearances over the course of his time there, as he featured regularly for the reserve side, before enjoying loan spells with Heerenveen, Vitesse, Real Sociedad, and Arsenal.

The 24-year-old was perhaps always fated to end up in north London, as he visited Arsenal’s London Colney training facility as a teenager before ultimately opting to sign for Real Madrid instead.

Since his arrival at the Emirates Stadium, Odegaard has taken his game to new heights. He is a key figure in Mikel Arteta’s squad, and the £240,000-a-week midfielder is thriving with the responsibility on his shoulders and has flourished into one of the finest players the Premier League has to offer. 

Odegaard looks back on Real Madrid era

Whilst things never quite worked out for Odegaard at Real Madrid, he has now found the club he does belong at. The 53-cap international is now living up to the extraordinary potential he displayed at such an early age.

Odegaard also has no regrets about his time in Spain. As quoted by 90min, he recently said, “my time in Madrid was good. It was a positive stage.”

“I learned to mature and it was a great learning experience, but I needed to play more. I am happy with the decision to leave and with how my time there went.”

“If I had not gone to Madrid I would not have reached the level I have today. Madrid is the biggest club in the world and the pressure there is too.”

Odegaard certainly had to grow up fast, as he was thrust into the limelight as a child. The maturity he gained in Spain has now seen him develop into an elite player and a brilliant leader for the Gunners.