Tottenham Hotspur legend Rafael van der Vaart has admitted that one Arsenal player is one of his “favourite players” in football and fans are not surprised.
Van der Vaart spent just two years in North London but played 77 times for the Lilywhites, and racked up an impressive 28 goals and 18 assists during this time – and was a fan favourite during his time with the club too.
It is this history with Arsenal’s bitter rivals that made fans surprised to hear the Dutchman admit that a current Gunners player is one of his favourites and that he “really loves” him.
Martin Odegaard
Martin Odegaard (Image credit: Getty Images)
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In TalkSport’s ‘The Lineup’ podcast, Van der Vaart made the bold but understandable admission that Arsenal captain and creative outlet Martin Ødegaard is one of his favourite players.
The 41-year-old said: “The positive style with Arteta, I really love it. Odegaard is one of my favourite players. He’s one of those players, you think physically he’s ok, not the best, but his feet, wow!”
Ødegaard has earned plaudits from all corners of the game after becoming arguably Arsenal’s most instrumental player – not least because he is Mikel Arteta’s chosen club captain.
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The Norwegian joined Arsenal for £34m (€41m) back in the summer of 2021, following a six-month loan spell in the previous season, after joining from Real Madrid in the 2021 January transfer window.
Having provided 36 goals and 28 assists so far throughout his time at Arsenal, his injury earlier this season rocked the Gunners and, in the 12 games that he missed with the ankle issue, Arsenal saw their form fluctuate – clearly desperately missing their creative focal point in the middle.
Fans of all clubs have been recognising Ødegaard’s impact this season, with one such supporter saying: “I’m sorry but at what point does it become unanimous that Martin Ødegaard is the best midfielder in the world? He’s got the technical elegance of past midfielders and the physicality and defensive work of modern midfielders. He’s a unicorn,” on X (formerly Twitter).
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