The forgotten Real Madrid star Martin Ødegaard
By Hasan Karim
Labeled nothing more than a ‘PR signing’ when he was signed in 2015 – Norwegian youngster, Martin Odegaard, has been a forgotten figure in the Spanish capital until recently, with big performances and impressive statistics, is it time to refocus our attention on all the noise?
With young starlets like Vinicius Jr, Reguilon, Odriozola etc. currently all thriving in the Spanish capital – the status of Real Madrid has changed since Martin Odegaard last took to the pitch of the Bernabeu.
A kid in the era of the Galactico, his then manager Ancelotti is now gone, Cristiano Ronaldo is in Italy, Pepe is back in Portugal, James is no longer a part of the team, Benzema is the new main man, Marcelo can’t buy a minute, Gareth Bale is alienated and Navas has been dispatched as the starting keeper – Madrid has changed. Gone are the days of the price-tag driven XI and the galactico ethos. Madrid now has turned its attention to breeding the stars of tomorrow.
In 2015, Martin Odegaard was on a tour of clubs as they all vied for his signature. When Real Madrid signed the youngster, he was looked at as nothing more than a business move. The ethos of the club was still very much in the era of the galactico.
When Odegaard made his Real Madrid debut in May of 2015, he became their youngest ever debutant at 16. Inevitably, at a club the size of Real Madrid, the expectation is monumental. Fans were eager to see why was this teenager heralded so highly?
When he was substituted on for club legend, Cristiano Ronaldo, many thought he could be seen as the future flag bearer of the club. Yet, he hasn’t been seen in royal white since and has largely been forgotten about or simply just cast aside, until recently.
The now 20-year-old has been on loan since 2017. After a two year stint in the Castilla where he didn’t really kick on, he went on-loan to Eredivisie side, Heerenveen. Although, he largely didn’t impress during his spell there as he delivered just eight goal contributions. Now on-loan at another Dutch top flight side, Odegaard is starting to show some real signs of promise.
So far this season, Odegaard has made 25 appearances in all competitions where he has contributed a total of 13 (7) goals and (6) assists. The best return in his young career so far, not only that – he is creating consistently. So far in the Eredivisie, nobody has created more chances than the Norwegian in the league – he’s created more than Ajax midfielder, Hakim Ziyech who is being lauded across Europe for his play.
In a recent game against Emmen, he scored a wondrous free-kick, in the game before that? He played on 6 key passes as his side were victorious. His stats also make for promising reading too, so far this season he is averaging 2.1 shots per 90 in the league, for comparison at Real Madrid that would place him amongst the top four at the club. He is playing on 3.3 key passes per 90, more than any Madrid player at current with the highest being Toni Kroos on 2.3 and he is also completing 2 dribbles per 90 – more than Madrid’s leading dribbler, Vinicius Jr.
The youngster is also showing his positional versatility this season having been shifted around various midfield roles by Vitesse this season. He’s been deployed as a winger on both flanks and on the right side of the midfield. Something which will help him going forward and may very well help him should he return to Madrid.
Consistently seeking to get on the ball and dribble at defenses, his maturity, composure and tricky feet have really helped him – however, he is also willing to track back and defend. Something which has seen the likes of Lucas Vasquez and Vinicius Jr lauded at Madrid and gain preference in the starting XI.
Next. The strange case of Reguilon. dark
Given his increasing rise and the growing need of transition at Real Madrid as the current core begins to age and decline – the fans at the Bernabeu can rest assured that they are a growing talent that could go onto wondrous things.
With fans demanding the club spend money, perhaps it may not be absolutely necessary when they’ve got players like Martin Odegaard waiting in the wings just awaiting the opportunity to shine on the stage in the Spanish capital.