Martin Odegaard knows exactly what it feels like to be Max Dowman.
The Arsenal captain burst onto the scene in Norway at Stromsgodset at 15 years old before joining Real Madrid at 16, where he became their youngest ever league debutant when he replaced Cristiano Ronaldo in May 2015.
Naturally, there was a huge weight of expectation on him that followed. The hype, the pressure, and the constant comparisons — Odegaard lived through all of it before eventually finding his home at Arsenal and becoming one of the best players in the world.
That positions him as the perfect mentor for Max Dowman, who obviously also broke through at a similar age, albeit in the biggest and most-watched league in the world.
Martin Odegaard vows to help ‘special, special’ Max Dowman
Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of today’s return to Premier League action against Leeds, Odegaard was asked whether he can help the 16-year-old stay level-headed and hopefully enjoy a career like his own.
“Yeah, I will try to give him any advice I can and to help him,” the Arsenal skipper said. “He’s unbelievable. The talent is so obvious, I think everyone can see it.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, you know? But yeah, he’s a special, special player, and we’re going to take good care of him and help him, and I’m sure we’re going to have a special, special player. He’s already a special player, but yeah, he will be unbelievable.”
Jack Wilshere, who coached Dowman at youth level, said this week that he had never seen anything like him at 13. And his teammates have had good things to say about what he’s like off the pitch too, with Myles Lewis-Skelly calling him an amazing person.
And now the captain, who has walked an eerily similar path, is promising to take good care of him. It’s fair to say Dowman’s in safe hands.