Martin Odegaard joined Arsenal on loan but was later sold by Real Madrid in the summer for a fee of 35 million Euros. Despite being young, he was appointed as the club captain by manager Mikel Arteta in his first season with the Gunners.

In an interview with the Norwegian channel TV2, Odegaard candidly spoke about his time at Real Madrid. Ahead of Norway’s match against Spain in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, Odegaard shared his experiences at Real:

“I was stuck in between. I trained with the A team (first team) but wasn’t a member of the team. I was seen as a young kid who was just training there, someone they didn’t pay attention to or think would play with them.

In the youth team, I trained with the first team. I only trained with them for a few days. I really felt stuck in between.” Finally, the Norwegian player admitted that leaving Real Madrid was the right decision for his career:

“Perhaps it wasn’t the best for my relationship with the B team, and there was a big age difference in the A team. I never found my position there. Over time, I felt that I needed to bond with a club more, have a role as well as my own position, where I could have a stable life. I have learned a lot of that at Arsenal. It couldn’t have been better.”

Martin Odegaard has now made 117 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 28 goals and providing 16 assists. Last season, Odegaard and his teammates at Arsenal had a memorable journey, finishing as runners-up in the Premier League.