After months of uncertainty and speculation, the Martin Odegaard transfer saga has reached a foreseeable conclusion. The Norwegian wonderkid had his pick of Europe’s top teams, and eventually plumped for arguably the biggest in the form of Real Madrid.
With a reported weekly wage in excess of €100,000, the boy has a lot to live up to. Odegaard had private jets ferrying him from club to club while they attempted to prove they were the best fit for him. Now he will have the difficult task of proving to not only Madrid but the whole football world that the hype was justified. And that can be a lot of pressure for a 16-year-old in a foreign country with a million eyes on his every kick.
A quick search on YouTube and it becomes increasingly apparent why Madrid have signed him. Described by the Press in his homeland as ‘a ballet dancer among elephants’, Odegaard bucks the trend as far as Norwegian players go. The young midfielder is creative, agile and possesses skill in abundance and is already a full international. He seemingly has all the natural talent to become one of the world’s best.
But talent alone will not get him there. Footballers more talented than the Norwegian have seen their careers go up in smoke, while perhaps less naturally-gifted players are plying their trade at some of Europe’s top clubs.
Odegaard’s attitude is a determining factor in his development. Should a 16-year be earning nearly €5m a year? In this mad football world, one can think of crazier things, but it gives the impression that Odegaard and his father [who was given a coaching role at Real Madrid as part of the move] were simply looking for the highest bidder.
Whether or not that is the case, he is set for life on that wage. It is important that just because he has his dream move to a top club and makes a good earning that he does not rest on his laurels. At the same time, he cannot be overawed by the daunting task which lies ahead of him. Odegaard has gone from an unknown to one of Europe’s most scrutinised talent almost overnight.
The big question surrounding his development is will he play? Odegaard featured regularly for Stromsgodset, but faces competition not only in the first team, but in RM Castilla. Just last month, Madrid snapped up talents Marcos Asensio and Mink Peeters from Mallorca and Ajax respectively. All three prefer the central attacking midfield role behind the striker. And muscling out James Rodriguez and Isco for a first team spot is no easy task either.
That’s not to pour scorn on his chances but a sense of realism in situations such as this is necessary. It would be a delight to see him become one of the world’s best, as at this point anything less can be considered a failure. Despite how talented the teenager appears, it will be difficult to quantify how good of an investment he may prove to be by Los Blancos, at least not for another few years.
According to Norwegian TV, Cristiano Ronaldo said to Odegaard: “In a couple of years I will stop scoring as many goals and you need to take over”. Talk about pressure.
