Arteta took £30m Arsenal gamble - but it paid off despite pressure on Odegaard
Here's a thing, it is eight years ago, to this very day, when Real Madrid paid €3million for a 16-year-old midfielder.
To mark the transfer, the BBC website published 'ten things you may not know about Europe's latest wonderkid'.
That 'wonderkid' was Martin Odegaard.
"The teenager is left-footed and has drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi for his style of play," declared the BBC on January 22, 2015. (And to think the Beeb sniffs at newspapers for being sensationalist…) At the time, Odegaard, who had made his international debut at the age of 15, said there was "no pressure" on him, which was, of course, total nonsense.
All sporting prodigies are under immense, unfair pressure.
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It is unfair because their development might not go to plan for reasons beyond their control.
Freddy Adu was hailed as a new Pele when he was 14 and was last seen at a third-tier Swedish club where he failed to earn a contract.
That he did not fulfil his potential was probably because he did not develop technically but the pressure was enormous from an early stage.
All sports are as stacked with failed prodigies as they are with successful prodigies.
For every Wayne Rooney, there is a Freddy Adu.
Martin Odegaard has really kicked on under Mikel Arteta's guidance (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Golf and tennis, in particular, are littered with players who never fulfilled their immense potential as teenagers - their careers were very respectable, sure, but think Jennifer Capriati and Michelle Wie.
So, essentially, when Odegaard arrived in Madrid to Bernabeu fanfare, he had to deal with unusual pressure, particularly after becoming the club's youngest-ever debutant when coming on to replace Cristiano Ronaldo in a 7-3 win over Getafe in May 2015.
Odegaard would make only one more senior appearance for Madrid in three years.
But here he is, the captain of the Premier League-leading team, the Premier League Player of the Month for November and December (and maybe for January, at this rate), the skipper of his national team, with eight goals and five assists in 17 Premier League appearances this season - and an absolute joy to watch.
If his form continues and Arsenal go on to win the title, the Player of the Year accolades could well come his way, rather than the way of compatriot Erling Haaland.
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And there is no doubting Odegaard is as important to Mikel Arteta's side as Haaland is to Pep Guardiola's side.
For the way Odegaard has blossomed into a world-class talent, he deserves enormous credit, but do not forget Arteta's role.
After his half-season on loan in 2021, not everyone within the club was convinced £30million would be money well spent on making Odegaard a permanent signing in August of that year.
But Arteta not only saw a playmaker and a game-changer, he saw a leader - and, quite beautifully, he is being proved right.
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