A decade after arriving at Real Madrid as a 16-year-old prodigy, Martin Ødegaard is set to return to the Santiago Bernabéu — this time as Arsenal captain, leading the Gunners into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final with a 3-0 advantage.
🧒🏼 The Wonderkid Chapter Signed by Madrid in 2015, Ødegaard was touted as Europe’s next big thing. But competing with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modrić, and Gareth Bale meant little room for a teenager still finding his game.
“I wasn’t old enough to drive… my dad had to drop me off to train with the Galácticos,” Ødegaard recalled in 2023.
Despite showing flashes of promise, limited first-team opportunities led to loan spells across Europe — at Heerenveen, Vitesse, and Real Sociedad — where he finally began to blossom.
👋 Exit from Madrid, Rise in London Madrid gave him another shot in 2020–21, but fierce competition and sporadic minutes led Ødegaard and his camp to seek a new beginning. Arsenal, undergoing a rebuild under Mikel Arteta, secured his services permanently for €35 million after a successful loan.
Today, the 26-year-old has become a linchpin of Arsenal’s midfield, wearing the captain’s armband and emerging as one of the Premier League’s finest playmakers.
🎙️ Reflecting on his Madrid days, Ødegaard said:
“I put too much pressure on myself and stopped playing with the spark… I understand why it didn’t work out. I was just a kid.”
🔥 Redemption in Sight? Now, Ødegaard has the chance to knock his former club out of Europe and guide Arsenal to their first Champions League semi-final since 2009 — a full-circle moment for the once-overlooked star.
