Arsenal player admits he was frustrated at Real Madrid

Real Madrid have had a number of highly-rated youngsters in their ranks in recent years. Some have gotten the chance to show what they are capable of. Others have not and eventually left the club in search of playing time elsewhere. Considering the pressure to deliver at Santiago Bernabeu in every game, week in and week out, perhaps that is to be expected even if not ideal.

Martin Odegaard was at Real Madrid for more than six years. He was signed while just 16 years of age and the Norwegian midfielder spent time out on loan at a number of clubs and impressed, but only made a handful of appearances for Los Blancos.

He would end up leaving on a permanent basis to join Arsenal. And it is there that he has established himself as a superstar of the game.

Not only is Odegaard one of the best midfielders in the world right now but he is the captain of Arsenal as well. And considering how things are going for Mikel Arteta’s team these days, he should expect to lift some silverware soon, maybe even the Premier League trophy.

Arsenal player admits he was frustrated at Real Madrid

Things were not always looking so bright for Odegaard though. When he was not getting his chances at Real Madrid, many wrote him off as another wonderkid who failed to meet expectations.

As reported by TV2, Odegaard said:

"“Then I was quite frustrated. I must honestly admit that. I had moved around here and there. It’s always a bit of a hassle when you enter a club, getting used to everything, all the routines. You are always a little more stressed at the start.”"

He continued:

"“I was at Real Sociedad and I had a very good time, everything went very well. I thought I was going to stay there for two years, but it was only one. I came back, then it didn’t turn out quite as I had thought. Then it was a bit like “enough is enough”.”"

Odegaard clearly has found his place at Arsenal though, as he said:

"“Then I just needed to find a place where I could be and settle down. I got a lot of that at Arsenal.”"

Odegaard has done a fantastic job since leaving Real Madrid for Arsenal. And one should not completely rule out the possibility of a return in the future.

Arteta is someone who has been tipped to be a future manager of Real Madrid, after the impressive work that he has done at Arsenal. If that were to ever happen, one could see the Spaniard wanting to bring Odegaard back to Santiago Bernabeu.