Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has recalled his first encounter with Martin Odegaard ahead of Wednesday night's huge title showdown against Arsenal at the Etihad.
Odegaard is the captain of the Gunners nowadays, but he was once a boy wonder attracting interest from every major European club on the continent. Having represented his country at just 15 years of age, the mercurial playmaker was a hot topic and in December 2014, visited a number of huge sides ready to take the next step in his career.
The then-teenager was wanted by Bayern Munich, who were at the time under the reign of Guardiola. He has since explained how the pair first met nearly 10 years before the upcoming title decider.
"I remember perfectly, he came with his father for two or three days of training sessions. I needed five minutes to think, 'this player plays good'", Guardiola told the media.
"I think he made a tour all over Europe, training for however many clubs. In the end, Arsenal was attractive for him, an exceptional player, captain at his age in Arsenal in a short time there is because you have to be a special personality, has the strength to be captain. Mikel [Arteta] wouldn’t give him captaincy if he didn’t have the strength to be captain."
Between then and now, Odegaard joined Spanish titans Real Madrid as a 16-year-old where he failed to live up to the lofty expectations placed on his young shoulders.
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Following a series of loans scattered across Holland and Spain, Odegaard eventually joined Arsenal on a permanent basis in the summer of 2021 after an impressive six-month loan spell with the Gunners.
It wasn't long after he was named captain of the club and comments from Arteta last July explain why he was given the armband and align with Guardiola's sentiment surrounding Odegaard's strength to be captain from such a young age.
"What I’ve seen over the last 18 months he’s been at the club with us – he represents the values of this football club, of this team, of his teammates and staff in the best possible way," Arteta claimed.
"His desire and ambition to take this club to a different level, to push this team, to contribute. And as well the way he’s respected by everybody inside this organisation. He’s a captain as well for his national team and I think it was the right call."
Odegaard has enjoyed his best season to date in terms of output, with the 24-year-old notching 12 goals and registering seven assists in the league alone this term.
If the Arsenal captain can guide his side to a shock victory at the Etihad on Wednesday night, there's every chance Odegaard will lift the Premier League come the end of May.
