Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career this term. The 24-year-old has scored eight goals and assisted a further six for Mikel Arteta's side, playing a starring role in the Gunners surge to the top of the Premier League table.
The Norwegian has settled into life in north London terrifically well. Initially a six-month loan in January 2020, Odegaard sealed a permanent move to the Emirates Stadium late in the following summer, costing only £30million plus bonuses.
Many won't be surprised by the playmaker's incredible form. At just 16, Odegaard had the world at his feet. After making his debut for the Norway national team at 15 and making 25 appearances for Stromsgodset, he sealed a move to Real Madrid.
READ MORE: Martin Odegaard reveals how FIFA and Mikel Arteta convinced him of Arsenal transfer
The Spanish giants confirmed the move in January 2015, adding a hint of youth to the Galactico squad of players at the Bernabeu. The season before, Los Blancos won the Copa del Rey and Champions League title with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring 51 goals in all competitions.
Real Madrid's pedigree in the football game was capable of capturing any of the world's best talents. That season Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez and Keylor Navas were all signed on the back of impressive individual displays at the Brazil World Cup.
But they were not alone in their pursuit of Odegaard and the midfielder has now revealed he rejected approaches from Liverpool and Man United to join the Spanish giants. "My dad handled everything with the clubs and there were a lot," he told The Players' Tribune. "We went to Bayern, Dortmund, Man Utd, Liverpool, Madrid, Arsenal too. We got flown around in private planes and made to feel special.
"I’m not just saying this … I was actually close to choosing Arsenal. When we went there, I got to train at London Colney. I met Arsène Wenger. He took me and Dad out for dinner. That was cool, but strange too. It’s Arsène Wenger, you know? He’s this legend I grew up watching on TV, and now I’m sitting across from him eating steak. I was so nervous I was just sitting there thinking, Is he analysing me right now? Is he going to judge me if I eat the fries? Maybe I should just leave them. Hahaha!
"So, why Real Madrid then? I talked about it a lot with my dad and the rest of my family. In the end, Madrid is Madrid. They were the Champions League holders with the best players in the world. Back then, I loved Isco — he was so smooth on the ball. Another one of my kind of players!
"But the really key thing about Madrid’s offer was that they had a B team where I could play competitive football immediately. And the manager of that team? Zinedine Zidane. It felt like the total package.
"Before we officially told them, I remember sitting with my dad on the sofa watching a Real Madrid game on TV. At one point, he turned to me with his phone in his hand like, 'Is it time? Should we tell them?'
"We’d been speaking about the decision for so long, as it was so hard to turn down all these other amazing clubs. But then we did it.
"He’d had the draft saved in his phone for like a week or two already. This really simple message.
"It was something like: 'Martin has decided he wants to come, if you still want him.' I just told him, 'Send it.'"
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