Every once in a while, a promising young footballer emerges and announces himself as a potential star of the future. But rarely do they come from Norway…
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Step forward teenage sensation Martin Odegaard, the 16-year-old who, in the space of a few months, has re-written the record books in Norwegian football and has now signed for Spanish giants Real Madrid after a fierce race for his signature involving Europe's biggest clubs.
While the age of the internet and social media mean it's now nearly impossible for teams to sign prospective stars of the future with minimal detection or fanfare - one clip of Odegaard in action on YouTube has already been viewed more than two million times - the gamble that the signing will prove inspired in the years to come remains a hugely attractive one.
So, just what do we know about this wonderkid, who had the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool vying to sign him?
Name: Martin Odegaard
Age: 16
Height: 1.76m
Foot: Left
Position: Attacking midfielder
Club: Stromsgodset - 24 games, 5 goals, 7 assists
Country: Norway - 3 games, 0 goals
Odegaard made 24 senior appearances for Stromsgodset before signing for Real Madrid
What has he done so far?
At 15, even the most promising young footballers are still several years away from getting a sniff at first-team action. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, for instance, both had to wait until they were 17 to make their respective bows in professional football. However, that hasn’t been the case for Norway’s new starlet who, having first trained with the Stromsgodset first team aged 13, appeared in the country’s top league, the Tippeligaen, in April 2014 aged 15 years and 117 days against Aalesunds.
Cordoba v Real Madrid
Watch Real Madrid's Primera Division clash at Cordoba on Saturday on Sky Sports 5 HD, via the Red Button (5.15pm).
A month later and Odegaard was the Norwegian league’s youngest goalscorer. With his club having tied their new star to a contract to 2015 by then, a European debut followed via the substitutes’ bench in the second leg of Stromsgodset’s unsuccessful Champions League qualifier against Romanian side Steaua Bucharest.
With Odegaard quickly showing his eye for goal and, perhaps most impressively of all given his age, an assist, a maiden full international call-up arrived for Norway’s friendly against the United Arab Emirates in late August. Unusually for a debutant, the now 16-year-old played the full 90 minutes in the otherwise uneventful 0-0 draw, and subsequent call-ups followed for Norway’s Euro 2016 qualifying double-header against Malta and Bulgaria. Although an unused substitute in the first game, Odegaard came on for the second half in the second match - an appearance which earned him another significant record: the youngest player to ever take the field in a European Championship qualifier.
Norwegian sports journalist Marius Skelbaek gives the lowdown on the boy from Drammen
By the end of the Norwegian league campaign in November, Odegaard had played 23 times in the league - with 15 of those appearances coming from the start - and put Europe’s top clubs on red alert.
What do they say about him?
Cristiano Ronaldo: “[He is a] good player. He's a young boy who can still grow - he's 16 years old.He has a good future. We must give him time to learn and to take the best decisions, but I see a lot of potential in the player. [He has a] good left foot.”
Norwegian sports journalist, Marius Skelbaek, told Sky Sports News HQ: “He’s described as the best talent we’ve ever had here in Norway. He is far better than John Arne Riise, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and John Carew.
“John Carew was 20 when he moved to Valencia. Odegaard is the best talent we’ve had in 50 or 60 years. He’s a sensational talent. He could be the savour of Norwegian football. We’ve never had a Norwegian player linked to Real Madrid. That’s not usual to be linked to those clubs, who are buying the best players from the World Cup.”
Ex-Blackburn and Norway player Morten Gamst Pedersen: "For his age, he is unbelievable. His knowledge of the game is unbelievable and his technical skills are fantastic. I have never seen a player with so much potential."
Hans Erik Odegaard, Martin's father: "I saw from a very early age that he 'had the feeling', but I remember very well when I knew he'd be quite good. I was still playing and Martin must have been no more than eight. I was out on the pitch running some intervals. He was, as always, with me. When I was finished I wanted to go home, but we couldn't before he had done 50 more shots at goal."
The race for his signature
The teenager was in the Vicente Calderon stands to watch Real's clash with Atletico earlier this month
Having made such a record-breaking impact inside six months in the Tippeligaen, Odegaard’s performances quickly came to the attention of the rest of Europe, with a host of world-renowned clubs and managers all attempting to woo him.
Speaking last September, following his son’s international debut, Hans Erik Odegaard revealed that “almost every top European club has been in touch” with Manchester United and Bayern Munich among the teams most prominently linked initially. Since then, it’s hard to think of a leading side which wasn’t interested: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid…
The youngster, a Liverpool fan, was invited to a training session at Melwood in early December, although Ajax manager Frank de Boer suggested the teenager should spurn the advances from Europe’s biggest leagues and move to Holland: “It’s incredible to see a young player doing so well. He should choose Ajax.”
However, Real Madrid have ultimately struck a deal. Now the world waits to see if he can deliver on the big stage.
Watch Real Madrid's La Liga match at Cordoba on Saturday on Sky Sports 5 HD, via the Red Button at 5.15pm
