Martin Odegaard is Real Madrid’s most creative player
Real Madrid understand the need to have creative midfielders in the squad.
Whether it’s Isco, James Rodriguez, or the incomparable Mesut Ozil, Real Madrid have fielded so many tremendous attacking midfielders over the years. Isco and James remain in the squad and despite some negative criticisms from fans, they remain two of the best creative midfielders in European football.
However, Real Madrid have an attacking midfielder playing at an even higher level than Isco or James, even if he’s several years younger. His name? Martin Odegaard, who became familiar with football fans five years ago as a 16-year-old prospect.
Odegaard has advanced his game over the years, first showing signs of future stardom at Vitesse in an underrated 2018-2019 campaign. He was electric on the ball, smart with his passing, and deadly with his pressing.
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In 2019-2020, the 21-year-old took on more responsibility with an even bigger club in Real Sociedad, and Odegaard now has La Real in a position to qualify for the 2020-2021 UEFA Champions League when La Liga returns this month.
Odegaard was handed the keys to the kingdom at Sociedad, so to speak.
With Mikel Oyarzabal, Portu, and others around him, Odegaard has plenty of options in the attacking third. And he’s made great use of them.
On paper, four goals and five assists in 2,013 minutes seem like a modest return, but those numbers, while solid, shroud just how effective Odegaard has been in his first season as a starter in a top-five European league.
Per WhoScored.com, Odegaard is averaging 2.4 dribbles per game and 2.3 key passes per game for Sociedad in La Liga this season. If we were to compare his numbers to Real Madrid players this year, only Eden Hazard is averaging more dribbles per game.
And no first-team player on Los Blancos has more key passes per match in league play, though Toni Kroos is close at 2.1. Where do Marcelo and James – two world-class creatives – land? They are averaging an impressive two key passes per game. But their marks are still not as impressive as Odegaard’s.
The Norway international is an absolute delight to watch. Not only do Los Blancos’ finest passers have numbers paling in comparison to Odegaard’s, but only the legendary Lionel Messi himself (who broke the scale!!!) can say he’s been a better creative passer than “Ø” this season.
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James showed he is still a quality player before injuries set in, and Isco overcame injuries to produce an excellent final month of the 2019-2020 season before the postponement. Yet even those two veterans of La Liga can’t measure up to Odegaard, who is already a special player. It’s no wonder why Madridistas are excited to see him at the Santiago Bernabeu on a full-time basis.