**Martin Odegaard**has experienced peaks and troughs in over a decade of professional football, and now he is gunning for the greatest high. His leadership, in more ways than one, has been doubted over the last twelve months, but all of the scepticism is "fire in the belly" for the Arsenal club captain.
‘It’s just a part of my journey’
Odegaard has long been used to facing mass scrutiny. He broke into the men’s game at Strømsgodset, becoming the youngest player to feature in the top tier of Norwegian football, before moving to Real Madrid at the tender age of 16. He admits he experienced the transition with a bit of youthful naivety.
“I think it was a bit crazy and I didn't realize at the time. At that time I was just so happy I just played football, I played in Norway and then I went to Madrid and it all happened like so quick and naturally but when I look back now it was a lot of attention. It was crazy and expectations were really high.”
He only played eight times for Los Blancos in LaLiga, and most of those appearances came after loan spells at Heerenveen, Vitesse, and a strong year at Real Sociedad. Upon his return from the Basque Country in the summer of 2020, he never earned the faith of Zinedine Zidane, but he has no regrets.
“I think it's just a part of my journey now. I think what I've been through has made me the person, the player, and the leader I am today. So, I think I'm grateful for all the experiences, good and bad, and um and everything I've been through. It's been a nice journey and hopefully the best is yet to come.”
The six months he spent on loan in North London were not easy, and he had to fight for the role of the creative spark with Emile Smith Rowe when he transferred to the team in the summer of 2021. But with each hurdle he has encountered, the 26-year-old has become better at handling obstacles.
“I'm used to it, being in the spotlight since 15 and I've had a lot of ups and downs and every time I've had a tough period, I think I deal with it in a good way and I work harder. I think that's my mindset. I just want to get better and improve. I know when I when I play well and I know when I can do better.”
‘There’s more than just goals or assists’
The latest stumbling block was last season. An ankle injury ruined his rhythm, and after he came back in a 1-1 draw with **Chelsea**in November, he was seldom as sharp as he was in the last two campaigns.
Absent teammates, tactical stagnation, and personal accountability are all part of the puzzle that was his poorer form. But Odegaard has accepted that the solution starts with not treating things in binaries.
That's football. Sometimes the ball goes in, sometimes not. In today's society, a lot is black and white and you're either good or you're either the best or you're the worst and I know there's most of the time it's somewhere in the middle so I know how to reflect on my game and I know when I can do better.”
To some extent, he also acknowledges that his game might not be to everyone's liking. With eight assists as well as three goals, his record is not as awful as the discourse might suggest. But even at his best, the Norwegian knows he is not all about the final action, which can skew people’s impressions.
“I use people around me and I keep the right mindset and also there's more than just goals and assists. Today in my position if you don't score or have an assist you play a bad game. And if you play a bad game, but you score, it's suddenly a good game. You have to see through it a bit and use the coaches, what they want, what they're looking for. You can base your thoughts on different things.”
He might benefit from the arrival of Viktor Gyökeres. The striker scored 97 times in 102 matches for Sporting, and he provides a different presence to Mikel Merino, Gabriel Jesus, or Kai Havertz.
“He has different qualities. You have to make sure that you get the best out of each and every player. He's a big boy and he's going to get a lot of attention, so maybe leaves more space for the rest of us.”
‘There’s more than just goals or assists’
Odegaard has become a significant talking point through no fault of his own earlier in the week.
He would like to follow in the footsteps of Tony Adams as a Premier League winning captain. But the defender does not believe that the Gunners get their hands on the trophy if the armband remains with the Norwegian, arguing that the responsibility ought to go to his fellow midfielder, Declan Rice.
The 26-year-old offered his thoughts on how he has done his best as a leader for the group until now.
“It’s a lot to be fair. It's a lot of small things. It's hard to describe it. It’s a constant role you do and there's always these small things you have to do. In general, I try get the best out of the team and to give the team the right mindset, help the players around you get the best out of everyone.”
The critics are also querying whether the club could have found marginal gains in any of the last three seasons where Arsenal have finished second in the table. That level of consistency is a base camp that Odegaard refuses to be shamed about, but he knows that the group are gunning for glory this year.
“I think it just motivates me. We're in a position where we feel like second is not a failure, but we want more. I think when you're that close and you really can feel it and you really can taste it and you know that you're really that close, I think it just motivates me. If we just improve a little bit, we can get there. So, for me that's just extra fire in the belly and that just gives me the hunger to do it.”
Odegaard opened up about how much making the final step would mean on his journey with the boss.
“Everyone loves him, what he's done and what he's built here, how he's taken the team the club into the right direction. There's so many good people and we all want to do it together. That’s the feeling to win something here together with the right people. It gives you an even better feeling if you can do it.”