Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has been on international duty with Norway following the conclusion of the season and he also had time to play in a charity match alongside his girlfriend and members of the Norwegian Royal Family.
Odegaard played the full 90 minutes in Norway's Euro 2024 qualifiers against Scotland and Cyprus and just one day after captaining his country to a 3-1 win over Cyprus, he featured in an annual charity match held at the Skaugum estate.
The estate is the residence of Norway's Crown Prince Haakon and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Odegaard was on their team, along with his girlfriend Helene Spilling who is a professional dancer.
They were joined by Norway women's stars Maren Mjelde and Guro Bergsvand, who ply their trade in the Women's Super League for Chelsea and Brighton respectively, while former Middlesbrough and Sheffield United forward Jan Age Fjortoft also took park.
Odegaard's team were ultimately beaten 7-6 by disability football team Bon Unified. "We gave everything, but they made it difficult for us," he said after the game. "It's a very nice thing, we've been here once before. Football is for everyone.
"It was fun with everyone here, I appreciated that. It was fun. They delivered and had some goals and good contributions, so it was fun." And when asked about his partner's performance, he added: "She can work a bit with throw-ins, but beyond that there was a lot of will and she gave everything she could."
Spilling, meanwhile, joked that she is "so bad" at football but Odegaard is "actually quite good on the dance floor". She said: "We actually had a plan for him to dribble all together, but it doesn't work when the girlfriend, i.e. me, is so bad.
"He's actually quite good on the dance floor, we've tried to dance a bit! I think I'm more impressed with him on the dancefloor than I am with myself here today." And Fjortoft was full of praise for the Bon team on social media after the match.
"Bøn FK was a great team today," he tweeted. "So good to be able to present the big football - family!!! They train once a week - has only lost 2 games this season - their player Lars scored 4 today."
Odegaard is hoping to spearhead another Arsenal Premier League title bid next season, having admitted earlier this month that getting beaten to the title by Manchester City "still stings". He said: "I've tried not to see so much of that stuff there, because it still stings. I try not to think too much about it. Even though we delivered a very good season for a long time, I am left with a sour feeling."
