Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Martin Odegaard has flourished at Arsenal after leaving behind his difficult spell at Real Madrid, where he failed to kick on, having been signed as a child prodigy at 1510:37, 08 Apr 2025Updated 10:38, 08 Apr 2025Martin Odegaard was a prized asset for Real Madrid(Image: Angel Martinez/Real Madrid via Getty Images)Martin Odegaard will captain Arsenal when they face Real Madrid in the biggest game of their season on Tuesday night in a clash which holds personal significance for the Norwegian. Odegaard has established himself as a key player at Arsenal since joining in August 2021 for £30million – but his status at Real was very different.The creative midfielder joined Real as a 15-year-old in January 2015 from Stromsgodset after the Spanish giants beat more than 30 other sides to the £2.6m signing. Odegaard was a teenage sensation and hotly tipped to become a future star – and Real president Florentino Perez wasn’t to be denied.Odegaard was tempted by Real’s illustrious history, but also by a sizable contract and the promise of training with the first team. So while he was to play for Real’s Castilla B-team, he would get to train alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema.His superstar status was perfect for Perez, because it helped further the club’s reputation as the biggest in the world. But it caused understandable friction behind the scenes for Odegaard, his team-mates and his coaches.READ MORE: Ex-Real Madrid star reveals what Arsenal must overcome that meant Chelsea and PSG failedREAD MORE: Former Liverpool and Arsenal star survives terrifying grenade attack in IsraelCastilla were coached by Real legend Zinedine Zidane, who was forced to pick Odegaard for matches, despite him spending most of his time training with Carlo Ancelotti’s first team. That didn’t go down well with the other B-team players, who were made to feel inferior by Odegaard, despite his personality not matching up to his billing.BBC Sport reports that Odegaard was ‘resented’ by some of his Castilla team-mates due to his ‘privileged’ status. Those internal concerns didn’t stop Perez from pulling the strings for Odegaard to get a very high-profile debut for the first team.The young Norwegian was summoned from the bench in the second half of a 7-3 win over Getafe to replace Ronaldo, becoming Los Blancos’ youngest ever debutant at 16 years and 157 days. Ancelotti was in the stands that day, leaving the reins to his assistant Paul Clement, who recognised the difficulties around Odegaard at the time.Martin Odegaard was dismissed as a “PR exercise” (Image: Denis Doyle/Getty Images)“We tried to find a balance but it was not an ideal situation. It was probably a bit weird for Martin,” Clement told The Sun. “Madrid is not an easy club to say ‘no’ to. You’re never sure when it’s going to come around again.“There are many players a lot of people will not even remember or know the names of because Madrid was too big for them and they didn’t make the grade. But Martin dealt with it very well.“I’m sure it was quite daunting. You never know what’s going on internally with somebody. He was quiet, humble but good to coach. In training, he could hold his own with his technical quality.”Martin Odegaard is now Arsenal’s captain(Image: Alex Pantling)Ancelotti was pretty blunt in his 2016 autobiography ‘Quiet Leadership’, describing the signing of Odegaard as a “PR exercise” orchestrated by Perez. He wrote: “[Odegaard] could go on to be the best player in the world after I’m gone, but I’m not interested in the signing. He is being recruited for the future, for other managers after my time.”In the end, that manager wasn’t a Real one, but Mikel Arteta. Odegaard made just 11 first-team appearances for Real and failed to contribute a goal or an assist. He went out on loan four times before being sold permanently to Arsenal, who now hope he will help them knock Real out of the Champions League in the quarter-final stage.Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.Sky Sports launches discounted Premier League packageThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more£43£35SkyGet the deal hereSky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
