Martin Ødegaard (8)

[Zenith]

If he would score 11 in 32 for a 2nd division worthy side like OHL (pretty damn impressive) he wouldn't go out on loan to a club of Heerenveen's level the next season. Clubs like Hannover, HSV, Stuttgart, etc would be lining up for him.

[Gunpowder]

I wouldn't have moved to Real. In 4 years he'll be still young but getting game time in his age is rare, he should have used that and move to a team he has shot at even 2nd choice.

[Captain]

His only just turned 16, learning everyday from the likes of Zidane, Ronaldo etc must be just as good as a handful of first team games right now. Even if it goes bad, his 16 so could likely move on when his 18-21.

Worst time to move to Real is when your 22-24, such as Illarramendi and Sahin prove.

[22-0]

should of joined Ajax

[Cripps]

http://www.thesportbible.com/articles/o ... to-anfield

Lol

[Yorkyblue]

https://twitter.com/nicojc5/status/552609346480513025/photo/1

Someone on twitter has mapped out Odegaard's career, wouldn't surprise me if turns out something like this

Banging them in when he turns 21!

[Callum]

"He's only gone to Real because his girlfriend prefers shopping in Madrid than Liverpool".

[Sims]

Good move for him imo. Playing first team football at 16 is unhealthy for any top flight club, at Madrid he'll come on when the games sewn up and play the occasional game. If he was 18/19 it would be a different story but I think this is best for him at his age

[Schlandi]

Can't remember of any foreigner who made it at "The Factory"

[Big17]

Sixteen-year-old wonderkid Martin Odegaard was signed by Real Madrid in January amid huge expectations.

The Norweigan youngster was chased by many of Europe's big guns before the La Liga giants eventually secured his signature.

But it has not been smooth sailing for him so far in the Spanish capital. He has struggled for form and was dropped to the bench from Real Madrid's reserves by manager Zinedine Zidane.

Guillem Balague told Revista de la Liga's Periscope Q&A what he believes is going wrong with Odegaard, insisting the terms of the player's contract - which states he is entitled to train with the first team - are not working in practice.

He said: "Everyone followed him when he went around Europe with his father trying to tout him to clubs in a very weird way, and I wasn't sure whether that was the right thing to do.

"But (with Real Madrid) he had the opportunity to train with some of the best coaches and players in the world, despite the fact Lionel Messi is his favourite player of all time - check the social networks, he said it then deleted it.

"So he went to Madrid and the idea was, as it says in his contract, he would train with the first team but play with the B team (Castilla) under Zidane.

"That's all well and good on paper but it's not working in practice. He enjoys training during the week (with the first team) but then he goes with Castilla and he doesn't feel part of the whole structure of the team - and his team-mates aren't particularly helping.

"After consecutive defeats, he was left on the bench and didn't play a single minute for two games with Castilla - and they played wonderfully. He then started this weekend just gone, and with the team losing 1-0 he came off, before it finished 1-1.

"So there is something going on there. He's been asked three times if he wouldn't mind coming to train more with Castilla, but he believes he'd learn more with the first team.

"His contract (where he can dictate his own terms of training) is not odd if you think of the business plan of Real Madrid - a club that is always looking for galacticos. He was THE galactico at 16."

Balague says Real Madrid boss Ancelotti has been put under pressure to play the youngster - and it will be interesting to see how Zidane - who has been touted as a potential replacement for the Italian next season - handles the situation.

He added: "Carlo Ancelotti did complain at the beginning because people at the top of the club were pressuring him to call Odegaard up against Schalke for their Champions League last-16 second leg.

"But Ancelotti didn't because he feels he's not part of the first team, and he would have had to leave out another player who is.

"What is interesting is that Zidane is the one dealing with this. So it is up to him what happens next. It was down to Zidane to leave him out for two games at a time when there was pressure to play him.

"So Zidane is getting a taste of what it is to be a manager of Real Madrid."

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news ... n-odegaard

Intersting. Doesn't look so it's going to plan for him at Madrid.

[Smitty_AFC]

he's earning between 40K & 60K a week (more than many veterans)...
his father got a job at real madrid as part of the deal...
he gets to train with the 1st team, then pop into the B-team when it's game time...
has been gassed up out of this world since he was 15...
went on a world tour of training grounds being courted by "big teams"...

surely nothing could go wrong

[ivan itchybum]

People expect him to be setting the world alight for some reason. He's 16 and at Real Madrid. He'll rarely get a chance there and when he does it will be difficult as there'll be such huge expectations.

[elkanofan]

This guy is an example of the media being so desperate for another true superstar to emerge combined with Norways desperation for any good footballer to emerge because since Carew/Pedersen (who kinda flopped at Blackburn to be fair) Literally nobody has emerged at all!

Even my Jamaica would probably beat Norway they are that bad and devoid of quality.

This had me in stitches though.

http://twitter.com/nicojc5/status/55260 ... 25/photo/1

Martin Ødegaard career path layed out



This is where I feel sorry for the kid. Modern football with its academy system leaves little room for true mavericks to come through, there is too much creative energy missing from the game, something which will be driven out of him at Madrid.

He should at the very least have a solid career.

[Smitty_AFC]

This guy is an example of the media being so desperate for another true superstar to emerge combined with Norways desperation for any good footballer to emerge because since Carew/Pedersen (who kinda flopped at Blackburn to be fair) Literally nobody has emerged at all!

Even my Jamaica would probably beat Norway they are that bad and devoid of quality.

A Fellow Jamaican

[jmiles10]

His got talent, his just physically not even that developed for his age group.