15 October 2023 , 09:15
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Martin Odegaard insists he is "happy" with his decision to leave Real Madrid as he bids to lead Arsenal on another Premier League title charge.
Odegaard, 24, has captained the Gunners for the past two seasons and recently put pen to paper on a new five-year contract, committing his future to the Emirates until 2028. Before then, the Norwegian midfielder was still pursuing his dream of becoming a success at Real Madrid, who signed him aged 16 to win a global bidding war for his signature.
But after four loan spells and only eight first-team appearances, a disenfranchised Odegaard completed a permanent switch to north London in the summer of 2021 for an initial £30million. The 24-year-old has no regrets, although there's no ill feeling towards his days at the Bernabeu playing for "the biggest club in the world."
"My time in Madrid was good," Odgeaard explained this week while on international duty with Norway, as quoted by AS. "It was a positive stage. I have learned to mature and it has been a great learning experience, but I needed to play more.
"I am happy with the decision to leave and with how the race went. If I had not gone through Madrid I would not have reached the level I have today. Madrid is the biggest club in the world and the pressure there is too."
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The former Los Blancos wonderkid, who'll face Spain on Sunday in a crucial Euro 2024 qualifier, previously opened up on his experience in Madrid for The Players' Tribune. Odegaard said of his ex-team-mates: "They were all very kind, and the ones who spoke English - Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo - took extra care of me in the beginning.
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Martin Odegaard has been at the heart of Arsenal's revival in recent years (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)"They gave me advice and helped me a lot. But honestly I don't think any of them were particularly worried about a 16-year-old from Norway taking their place in the team."
He added: "I wasn't involved in matches. I felt a bit like an outsider. I was stuck in between (the first team and B team). I stopped playing with the spark that was typical of my game. I went a bit too safe for a time. I was worrying more about not making mistakes than actually playing my game.
"My game was always about making a difference. Playing the difficult pass. I can understand why it happened now. I was still a little kid, but I've learned that you have to be ruthless. You have to not give a f***. You have to show the real you on the pitch."