I replaced the best player in the world. After completing a successful first year at the club, the matchday programme spoke exclusively to Martin Odegaard about his rise as a young footballer in Norway, life as a teenager at Real Madrid and writing the next chapter in his career. Martin was destined for a life in football. Martin was surrounded by the sport as a child, even though his father had a successful career in the Norwegian league in the 1990s and 2000s. The No. 8 has always had a deep love for the game. He says that he has always been a huge football fan. I have always tried to watch every game on TV. The premier league was the most watched league in the world and I watched it every single weekend. I used to get together with my friends and watch a lot of games. I always enjoyed watching football and went to the games of my hometown club. One of my dad's games was the first time I ever went to a stadium to watch a game. I was around five or six years old when he was in the top division in Norway. I remember going to watch him. I was born and grew up in Drammen, but he moved to a new club when I was young, so I don't remember him playing much for the club. He moved to a team called Sandefjord and I would go and watch him there, it was an hour from home. The fact that Martin is one of football's true early starters is not surprising. As a teenager in Norway, he racked up a lot of achievements. He played for the Stromsgodset first team in a friendly when he was 13 and the reserves the following year. He was 15 years and 118 days old when he made his debut in the top flight of Norway. In May, he broke the league record for the youngest scorer, and two months later, he made his debut in the European competition. He was already a member of the national team at under-15, under-16 and under 17 levels, and in August of 2014, he would become the country's youngest ever full international. He was 15 years and 253 days old when he played the full 90 minutes of a friendly at home. Martin, who turned 23 in December, says he was playing football or watching football his whole life. There was never a moment when I wanted to be a footballer. My parents told me that I began kicking a ball in the garden when I could walk. I don't remember a time when I didn't enjoy football. It was around me because my father played as well. Growing up all my friends played the same game, so it was natural that I started playing as well. The gift he displayed so soon after starting out was incredible. Stromsgodset had a talent on their hands. He was going to have to get used to the attention, but it never felt out of the ordinary to him. There aren't a lot of people watching the games when I started playing. We don't play in stadiums or anything, it's just a few parents and others standing around the pitch. When I was 15, I played my first game for the first team and it was in front of a lot of people. I played some games for the national team at youth level, but there isn't really a game that stands out as having a large crowd or loads of people being there, before playing first-team football. That would soon change. Signing for Real Madrid at the age of 16 will have an effect. Martin took in his stride the inevitable rise in profile after stepping up from the Norwegian Eliteserien to Spain's Laliga. He says it was definitely a big change. The stadium at Stromsgodset held about 7,000 people and then all of a sudden there are 80,000 people in Madrid. It was a big change, but I didn't feel like it was too much. I enjoyed it. I love playing in front of people and I think the fans are so important to help you on the pitch, to help the team, and to give energy. I've enjoyed it all my life. I didn't feel like it was a huge change from what I had known. There is a hint of relief in his voice when he says he was spared one of the traditions that high-profile signings to Madrid have to participate in - being paraded before the media and fans inside the stadium while showing off your ball skills. "I didn't have to do that!" he laughs. Although I was training with the first team, I played games for the second team. I didn't have to do the ball juggling in front of the fans because I only had a presentation and a few pictures. The fans were loud when he made his debut. After spending his first season in the Spanish capital playing for Real Madrid's second string side, he finally got to play in the first team on the final day of the season. Real Madrid's last game of the season was at home to Getafe, and with the hosts 6-3 up just before the hour mark, Martin was summoned by Carlo Ancelotti. He was the club's youngest ever La Liga player at 16 and 157 days. They went on to win the game. "Yes, I replaced him," he says. I had been waiting for my debut for a long time, and it was the last game of the season. They told me before the game that I would come on, and I was eager to play. I was worried that I wasn't going to get my chance because we had already used two subs. I came on when they told me to warm up. The reception from the fans was good, and I think they were interested in seeing me play as well, so I remember the reception when I came on. It was all a bit crazy because I came on for him. The best player in the world at the time was replaced by me. It was crazy, but when you are young, you don't think about it much. It's only now that I realize how special it was, and coming on for him made it even more special. You just live it and enjoy it when you are in that moment. It takes a bit of getting used to because it's harder to hear what your team-mates are saying, but Martin says it inspired him. I didn't think it was difficult to play to a large crowd, even though it was a big thing at first. I liked it, I felt the presence from the fans, and I thought it was cool. It's terrible to play in an empty stadium, because you don't get that feeling of pressure, which I've always found to be a positive pressure. I enjoy the pressure of having to perform for people. I need something. For the next three or four seasons, Martin got the bulk of his experience while playing on loan, first with Heerenveen and Vitesse in the Netherlands, then Real Sociedad in La Liga, before he joined the Gunners in January 2020. The early years gave him the chance to play in front of many different people. Is there anywhere in the world that he has enjoyed playing in the most? I've played for a few clubs in different countries and have been lucky enough to play for good fans." I enjoy playing in the stadium. I enjoyed it in Spain as well, and the fans there were great. Madrid is a very special place to play in. I've played against teams in England that have a good atmosphere, and I've also played against teams that have a lot of energy, and that's the one that I've been most impressed with. It's difficult to say which stadium has the best atmosphere, I've played at a lot of good stadiums. Martin is finding favour with the league. He is nominated for the Player of the month award for December, a year after making his debut, and he says the fans are a big part of that. He states that the atmosphere in England is different than anywhere else. I love the passion of the fans here, how much they care about football and their own team, as well as the connection they have with the club. English football has a lot of traditions that I love and I think it's a great place to play. Since we returned to playing in front of our fans, he's scored four times in the league, including away to Manchester United and Burnley, but the first 18 games of his career were played behind closed doors. What do you think about the welcome he gets when he is in England? Sometimes it can be more difficult in stadiums with a big atmosphere. The fans will support you, give you energy and make it harder for the other team, that's the good thing about playing at home. It can be more difficult to play away when the fans are cheering for their team. It can affect you in the game, but it's something I really like about football. You feel the energy of the fans when you are playing the game and it's really cool. There's nothing like it when your fans back you. Martin says he felt a connection with the fans from the moment he joined, and that he was building a bond before he even signed a contract. "I've met a lot of fans when I've been out to eat," he says. It's easy to see how much people care about the team. It's likely more on social media than in public. When I was about to sign here, I got a lot of messages. The fans were pushing for me to come, they were texting me all the time. Sometimes it can be a bit much, but in general I think it shows how much they care and how passionate they are. As a kid in Drammen, Martin showed a huge promise, and now he's settled in London and enjoying his life, he's ready to fulfill it. He loves London life. It's close to home and it's easy for me to travel to see my family or have them visit me. I enjoy it. Everyone at the same club has the same routines and schedules, so when you are a footballer, there isn't much difference in your daily life. It's nice to be in London, with plenty of places to go and things to do, and the stuff off the pitch is what makes the difference. The club is owned by TheArsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to the source.from OhContent RSS - Sport Source https://ift.tt/KHacFn7
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