In 2021, Real Madrid loaned Martin Odegaard to Arsenal and then sold him permanently six months later at the conclusion of the 2020/21 season.
Odegaard clearly wanted out of Madrid that winter, as he went from being a starter on Matchday 1 against Real Sociedad that season to becoming almost completely discarded.
He was sitting on the periphery of the squad as a seldom-used rotational piece after Fede Valverde soundly beat him for a starting job in a four-man midfield less than a month into the campaign.
Even though Zidane is a three-peat Champions League winner and had just brought the LaLiga title back to a struggling Real Madrid – while going up against 20 goals and 20 assists from Lionel Messi, no less – it was the French footballing legend who got slagged off by the fans as an out-of-touch fool holding back the next generation.
Odegaard would go on to win the captaincy at Arsenal as a favorite of Mikel Arteta’s without really even earning the distinction, and he’d be praised by Premier League – and especially Arsenal – fans for putting up solid goals and assists numbers, mostly beating up on the mid-table
And year after year, Odegaard has come up empty-handed in the trophy cabinet, while Real Madrid have won two Champions League titles, another league title, and the Copa del Rey without him.
To deny that Odegaard is a good footballer would be dishonest. Odegaard was a phenom of a prospect at 16, and while he was hyped up way too much and way too fast, he fought his way back to the top level in Europe by performing successively well on multiple loan spells in the Netherlands before playing as well as any playmaker in Spanish football with Real Sociedad in 2019/20.
The problem is that playing well for Real Sociedad and playing well at Real Madrid are two different things. At La Real, there isn’t as much pressure to defend. You don’t have to be perfect.
At La Real, you are allowed to have bad games, and you don’t have to fight for your spot every week against the best of the best. You have the freedom to take plays off defensively and focus on creating chances.
You aren’t facing low blocks or vicious defenses playing their best against you in the hopes of an upset. Things are more chill there as an attacking midfielder; Odegaard could even start on the right wing without really having to win one-on-ones or face tight marking.
At Real Madrid, you are fighting wolves, and your teammates competing with you are legends. Odegaard wasn’t going to start regularly over the iconic trio of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Casemiro, but Zinedine Zidane was showing faith in the La Real standout by giving him starts at the beginning of the season, including as an attacking midfielder.
Odegaard squandered them. He was an albatross in midfield, lethargically meandering about the pitch, offering zero defensive work and getting overrun by more physical players.
In big matches, including against Inter Milan in the Champions League, Odegaard was the clear weak link in the squad. It didn’t take long for a younger, more talented athlete in Fede Valverde to usurp him by showing more robustness, passion, and all-around quality.
It was obvious that Odegaard wanted to take the easy way out, and Zidane saw through him. The culture of players at Real Madrid are people who will fight for the jersey in the biggest matches and the biggest opponents.
No occasion is too big for them. They will always stand up and fight to the end, against all odds, and Odegaard wasn’t doing that. Fede was. If it came down to a choice, the choice was obvious.
And then it was Odegaard who wanted out. People can dress this up all they want about him wanting to be a big fish in a small pond or not fitting in at Real Madrid, but it’s all a load of crock. He didn’t want to compete.
He couldn’t get a starting job immediately among elite players, he didn’t want to play defense or run when Zidane asked him to, and he wanted to get away with playing somewhere where the standard is lower
He took a shortcut, and Zidane knew the minute he didn’t want to be there that there was no point in fighting for him to stay. He’s not the only one. Florentino Perez and all the decision-makers at Real Madrid were more than happy to let him go.
Years later, Odegaard is ghosting in important Champions League games and turning in a career-worst season as other teams expose his lack of work rate, inability to challenge for 50/50s, and one-dimensional attacking style.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid have a much, much better player – a true generational talent and an industrious worker – as their No. 10 in Jude Bellingham, along with a trophycase laden with Champions League silverware.
Looking back at Odegaard’s time at Real Madrid, the most egregious comment he made was a flippant excuse about people being mean to him in the locker room or not fitting the culture. Literally no player in the last decade who was welcomed as a key player has said that.
Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eder Militao, Jude Bellingham, Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler, Vinicius Junior, Eden Hazard, and so many other players have come in and had to fight for a spot but didn’t make any comments about it being hard to fit in. They all gelled well, made no excuses, and fought.
Odegaard, from the moment he joined Real Madrid, was a moody player who didn’t see his teammates as equals.
Even the Arsenal faithful are wondering why they overrated this falsely anointed captain in the first place. And somewhere, in a quiet part of Marseille, Zizou laughs as he watches Fede score bangers and Jude pour his heart out at the Santiago Bernabeu while North London remains trophyless.
