"Took extra care of me" - Martin Odegaard names Cristiano Ronaldo and 2 other players who helped him at Real Madrid
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo helped him settle in at Real Madrid. He added that Toni Kroos and Luka Modric were also quick to help despite him being just 16 years old.
Real Madrid beat a host of clubs to sign Odegaard in 2015, and the teenager was allowed to train with the first team straight away. He never managed to seal a starting spot at the club and eventually joined Arsenal permanently after a short loan at the club.
Came away from this feeling like I know Odegaard that little bit better. A really excellent read. theplayerstribune.com/posts/martin-o…
In his Player's Tribune article, Odegaard revealed that he could not speak Spanish when he joined Los Blancos and was helped by three senior players. He named Kroos, Modric and Ronaldo as the ones who helped and said:
"All I'm thinking is about how these guys will treat me when I walk into their dressing room. This little kid who didn't speak any Spanish. But they were all very kind and the ones who spoke English - Kroos, Modric, Ronaldo - took extra care of me in the beginning. 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."
Why did Arsenal captain pick Real Madrid?
Martin Odegaard went on to talk about his decision to join Real Madrid at a young age and claimed the Santiago Bernabeu side offered everything he wanted.
The journey to @Arsenal captain.
Martin Ødegaard, in his own words.
youtu.be/-vxsJhNtdto https://t.co/MykksoiGxH
He claims the love for Isco and the thought of working under Zinedine Zidane pushed him to make the move. He wrote:
"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."
Odegaard is now at Arsenal and is the club captain following the departures of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.