Real Madrid: Why Martin Odegaard will shine immediately

Real Madrid attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard has returned to the first team for the 2020-2021 season, and it won’t take him long to make an impact.

Norway international Martin Odegaard is back at Real Madrid for the 2020-2021 season after manager Zinedine Zidane made the decision to recall him from Real Sociedad. Odegaard was set to spend another season at La Real on loan after his sensational breakout 2019-2020 campaign in San Sebastian, but he will now be a first-team player for Los Blancos.

Odegaard joins Real after scoring four goals with six assists in La Liga last season. The 21-year-old established himself as one of the league’s most creative minds on the pitch, producing the assist of the season and 2.0 key passes per game (via WhoScored.com).

Although there is always an adjustment period when playing for Real Madrid – just ask superstar Eden Hazard – Zidane should have full confidence that Odegaard can hit the ground running and produce another fine season.

Los Blancos need Odegaard. They are poised to sell James Rodriguez to Everton, and James was the team’s leader in key passes per game. But James also didn’t play much. Real Madrid require a creative midfielder who can create chances for teammates. Isco and Toni Kroos can do this, but Isco shares ball-carrying and goal-scoring roles while Kroos is more ideal as a deeper passer versus a playmaker.

Martin Odegaard can be a multi-faceted weapon for Real Madrid

Odegaard can carry the ball and do all the things a player in a midfield three should, but he can also add an extra threat on the right side or in a more central playmaking role. Basically, he can do a lot of the things James can, albeit arguably better and with more upside at this stage of his career.

In addition to being adept at creating chances for others, Odegaard averaged 2.0 dribbles per game and 1.2 fouls drawn per game in 2019-2020 for Real Sociedad. That means Odegaard is capable of creating his own chances. He won’t score too many goals for Real Madrid, but he has the technical quality and incisiveness to carry more of a goal-scoring threat than the majority of midfielders in La Liga.

Zidane knew he needed a spark in midfield after his team was embarrassed by Manchester City in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16. Martin Odegaard is absolutely that spark. Everything about his game screams that he’s ready to be a key player in Real’s midfield and attacking rotation in 2020-2021. Patience must be exercised with any young player, but Odegaard is already entering that “special” bracket among playmakers in Europe’s top five.