La Liga fans can see Odegaard at Real Madrid in next season, as Florentino Perez is planning to call back their extremely talented loanee from Real Sociedad. Here is our short article about Odegaard’s journey from 2015, and finally on his way to earning a starting XI spot in the Royal White jersey.
Martin Odegaard at Real Madrid: The Story
In 2015, Real Madrid C.F. signed a 16 years old Norwegian young talent, named Martin Odegaard. Glimpses of his performances, in the Eredivisie with Arnhem, was enough for Madridistas have huge expectations. So, it was obvious that everyone was expecting him to deliver good performances quickly, but getting used to in a club like Real Madrid at such a young age, is a tough job. Not only the new ambience and playing style but the media attention that came with Odegaard’s move were further obstacles that he needed to overcome.
Odegaard had immense talent, but his future was uncertain at that time. It was important to release that immense pressure from his mind so that he could enjoy the game again. That is why Real Madrid did send him to various clubs one after another. These moves were just to give him the freedom to enjoy the football again so that he can deliver his best again.
His spells at SC Heerenveen and Vitesse weren’t eye-catching, but they helped him to grow his personality as a footballer and as a human being. In the last summer, Real Sociedad had asked for his loan move. So the Madrid board decided to allow Odegaard so that he could have a taste of football in La Liga. It was his loan spell to Real Sociedad for the 2019/20 season which did catch the eye. He scored four goals and assisted six in the league last campaign helped guide Real Sociedad to a sixth-placed finish.
Signing a player of Odegaard’s quality is a luxury to many European top teams. Real Madrid had already made it clear that they would not make any signings due to the entire COVID-19 situation. It makes sense to recall their loanee who had an impressive last season to strengthen their midfield.
With Luka Modric now 34 years old, and would turn 35 by the time the season starts, his responsibilities at the club will be less significant than previous years. Zidane has noticed the need to inject fresh blood, dynamism and quality into the midfield. Zidane coached Odegaard at Real Madrid Castilla in 2015 where the midfielder played 25 games under Zidane’s watchful eye. There’s no doubt that he knows Odegaard’s quality and even throughout the current season, Zidane was questioned about Odegaard and if he watches his performances. Zidane always replied positively that he’s optimistic about Odegaard.
“Zidane has asked management to return Odegaard almost a month ago, but the club believes that Modric’s presence could impact the Norwegian’s playing time and he should only return to start. The Frenchman has informed them that he will have a more important role than Modric within the team. The club felt Martin needed to stay one more season at Sociedad, but Zidane’s guarantees changed everything”
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Martin Odegaard: Playing style and current form
Odegaard is well-known by playing at a central position or on the wings and is characterized by decisive passes, and calmness on the ball, and calmly comes out from under pressure. Odegaard has provided 9 assists this season, 6 in the league, 3 in the cup. Moreover, he has scored 7 goals this season, 4 in the league & 3 in the cup. In Real Madrid, there are only two players, who have more decisive passes than him in the league, Benzema (8), Modric (7). In terms of big chances created, only Benzema is ahead of him. Also, for key passes per game, he ranks 3rd in La Liga, only losing out to Messi and Canales. Real Madrid have lacked creativity in the build-up this season, so Odegaard is expected to solve that problem.
Odegaard was responsible for taking free kicks and corner kicks when he played for Real Madrid Castilla, and with teams, he played on loan. But those tasks at Real Madrid are entrusted to Modric and Kroos, and it is expected these tasks will be up to Odegaard in the future. As well as the accuracy of the passes, he was 84% accurate out of 1439 passes in 36 games in the league and cup. And therefore he has (39.9) successful passes per match, where he has beaten Isco (34.9), and Valverde (30) this season.
Odegaard may not necessarily start every game with Zidane’s rotation policy as well as Madrid’s squad depth, but he is exactly what they need. In Zidane’s 4-3-3 system, he may be tasked with more responsibilities, but with Casemiro behind him, he will get the freedom to push forward and do what he does the best: create. He can even play in a no.10 role just behind the striker in a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-2 diamond formation. He is often seen by fans as an heir to the midfield maestro Luka Modric. Only time will tell us whether and how Martin Odegaard proves his worth at Real Madrid.
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