Martin Odegaard speaks out on ‘proud’ Arsenal captain record, not even Thierry Henry managed it

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Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has been at the heart of a revival for the club over the past few years, kickstarting the rise back to the top.

The Norwegian international joined on an initial loan from Real Madrid that was eventually made permanent, little did anyone know that the move would be so successful.

Odegaard has since played over 150 games across all competitions for Arsenal, with plenty of goals and assists to his name.

He was then named Arsenal club captain in 2022, taking a leadership role he was already familiar with due to his time with the national team.

The Gunners have moved from strength to strength since his appointment as captain, underlined by the amount Arsenal missed Odegaard through injury.

After successfully taking charge of his 100th game as captain, his record is starting to envy some of the very best at the Emirates Stadium and beyond.

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Martin Odegaard on Arsenal captain win rate

During the clash with Fulham, Odegaard officially racked up his 100th game as the captain of Arsenal, a huge milestone for him.

Even with a draw, the playmaker officially had the best record with rate percentage of any captain over the past 30 years of the club’s history.

The Gunners aren’t shy of many legendary players carrying the armband in that period too, with the likes of Tony Adams, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira just a few to fall in that category.

Speaking in the Arsenal programme ahead of the clash with Monaco, Odegaard spoke out on the record himself.

“It was my 100th game as captain on Sunday, which I am very proud of,” the 25-year-old said.

“I think I’m a different captain now to when I first had the armband, for sure. Of course my principles are still the same, trying to do it my own way, being myself and doing what I feels right.

“But I’ve learned a lot along the way and I’ve matured a lot, grown into the role and I feel a lot more comfortable as a captain than when I first got it.

“I’m still learning and have got more to learn, but of course I’m enjoying it so far. I saw the stats about having the best win rate of any of Arsenal captain over the past 30 years or so, and I’m very proud of that.

“It’s a great achievement, because this is a huge club with a lot of great captains, and looking at the list of names you see some of the biggest players in our history there.”

With a 101st game coming up in a very swift turnaround against AS Monaco, the captain will be hoping to pump those numbers even higher.

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Martin Odegaard win rate compared to Arsenal captains

Odegaard’s impressive career with the captain’s armband so far has him on top of the pile for win rate so far.

Comparing him to the top five, he is above the likes of Petr Cech, Alexandre Lacazette, Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker in the best of the bunch.

Further down the list, key names stand out such as Vieira with 60%, Henry with 55.1% and Adams with 52.5%.

It puts Odegaard in esteemed company, though he will be hoping to increase his numbers even further before he eventually calls it a day at Arsenal.