We are always hearing about the supposed wonder-kid who never lived up to their potential and how it all went wrong. This example could provide an inspiration to many talented youngsters out there – maybe clubs just need to show a little patience.
Martin Odegaard was thrust into the limelight when he made his debut in the Norwegian leagues aged only 15, and he moved to Real Madrid not long after.
It looked like everything had come too soon as he failed to make any impact on Real’s first team and he wasn’t exactly excelling for the B team either, but then it’s easy to forget he was still a kid.
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He took his chance to impress via a couple of loan spells in Holland, before finally getting an opportunity to play in La Liga with Real Sociedad this season. Four goals and five assists in 16 matches alongside some excellent performances have shown he does belong at the top level, and it’s not gone unnoticed by the press in Spain either.
It’s not like Marca to go a little overboard when it comes to Real Madrid, but they recently ran a report saying Real had to recall him at the end of this season. They say the loan deal is for two years, but they can bring him back after this year.
That all sounds well and good, only they go on to suggest he’s now surely a better player than Frenkie de Jong, who Barcelona paid €86m for this Summer, so it’s a no brainer that they have to get him back to The Bernabeu.
A lot will depend on how much playing time Real would plan on giving him, if he wouldn’t be a regular then he might develop more by playing regularly for Sociedad.
Whatever happens, let’s see how much time Marca give him before claiming he isn’t good enough when he does return.