Martin Odegaard is a very mature footballer for his age, and he believes his time with several different clubs has set him up to be the player he is today.
Now officially named Arsenal’s captain, the 23-year-old is leading by example despite his age and the fact he has only spent 18 months in north London.
Odegaard made his debut for Norway at the age of 15 and signed for Real Madrid when he was just 16.
He has endured an indifferent career, and we asked the Norwegian playmaker if his time in the Spanish capital has set him up for the rest of his career and made him a more mature player than his age shows.
“Yeah, but I don’t think it’s just Madrid, it’s everything that happened after that as well and before,” he told Football365. “I started playing when I was 15 in Norway, played with the national team when I was 15 and then I went to Madrid, experienced a lot there. Good things, hard things.
“Then I went to the Netherlands and I feel like I really grew up as a player and had to take more responsibility. I think everything that has happened to me after that has helped me as well.
“I’ve been through a lot, I’ve been in different countries with different players and managers. You learn from all the places and I try to use that in a good way and I feel like I have a lot of experience to use even though I’m young.”
On what dressing room figures have had a big influence over the years, Odegaard continued: “There are a lot of players and coaches and people in general. In every club you have a lot of characters, some are more fun and some are more serious. That’s the nice part about being in a team, you can deal with different people and you learn [from] different people.
“I don’t feel like I have one or two that were really crucial [in my career]. In every club, I’ve been there are people you can learn from in many different ways. I have been lucky to play with a lot of good players. I have learned a lot from all of them in different ways.”
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At such a young age, Odegaard is not feeling the pressure of being a young captain at a big club hoping to rebuild the connection with their supporters.
“I think that’s normal when you play for a big club like Arsenal,” he explained. “A club that has won a lot of things, has had a lot of big players, big names. That’s a part of football and you have to deal with it.
“I enjoy that pressure…
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