16 October 2023 , 11:24
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Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has shed light on what he learned from some of the superstars he shared the Real Madrid dressing room with, including Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Gunners skipper has gone from strength to strength since joining Arsenal and established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. However, his journey to donning the armband for Mikel Arteta's men has been far from straightforward. Odegaard joined Spanish giants Real Madrid as a 16-year-old from boyhood club Stromsgodset.
Unfortunately, it was not a move that produced the kind of success either party had hoped. Odegaard spent the overwhelming majority of his time at the Santiago Bernabeu on loan with a number of spells in Holland, Spain and indeed England with Arsenal before making the move permanent.
None of that is to say his time in the Spanish capital was a disaster and Odegaard has since revealed the tricks of the trade he picked up from the biggest names at Los Blancos. He told TV2: “There are a lot of small things during that time there: to see how they take care of their bodies, see how they train, the setting for matches, how they switched on and off.
"It's extreme. Those who were the most extreme about it, you saw how detail-oriented they are, how much they turn up the heat when the match comes," he continued. "They can be very relaxed and stuff before, but when the match comes, it hits. The whole focus and all that. It was cool to see."
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Odegaard also went on to add that he has no regrets about his ill-fated spell at Real Madrid. "If I had not gone through Madrid I would not have reached the level I have today. 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."
The 24-year-old has also previously discussed some of his ex-teammates during an interview with the The Players' Tribune. "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 shed light on life was like at Real Madrid with Cristiano Ronaldo (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."
Odegaard has enjoyed a promising start to the new season at the Emirates with four goals to his name across all competitions. The Gunners skipper has more than played his part in Arsenal's unbeaten start to the league season which sees them currently sit second in the table.
It was Odegaard who played a starring role for Arsenal last season as Arteta's side launched an unlikely title tilt, but fell sort after capitulating late on in the campaign. The midfield maestro notched 15 league goals as well as seven assists and was named the club's player of the season.