The Real deal: Madrid's forgotten man Ødegaard is flourishing at Sociedad

The Real deal: Madrid's forgotten man Ødegaard is flourishing at Sociedad

With his career now firmly up and running, a path back to the Bernabeu now looks likely.

MARTIN Odegaard is just 20 years old, but already he has crammed more highs and lows, incident and drama into his nascent career than most footballers manage in a lifetime.

It is four and a half years now since he signed for Real Madrid while still too young to indulge in any of adulthood’s legal vices. And he remains the world-famous club’s youngest-ever first-team player, having made his senior debut on the final day of the 2014-15 season, aged 16 years and 157 days. He came off the bench to replace Cristiano Ronaldo that day at the Bernabeu, and the clunky symbolism was lost on no one.

But it hasn’t all been plain sailing for Odegaard since then. Expectations of the youngster were unfeasibly high following his £3.5m move from Stromsgodset, for whom he became a regular starter at 15 and instantly looked levels above his more experienced colleagues in the Norwegian top flight.

He didn’t make a single first-team appearance for Madrid in the 2015-16 campaign – in fact, he has only appeared once more in the immaculate white of the 13-time European champions since his debut – and was loaned to Heerenveen and then Vitesse to gain experience in the Dutch Eredivisie, away from the glare of intense media scrutiny in Spain.

Out on loan still, this time back in La Liga with Real Sociedad, Odegaard is showing the wider footballing world what he has learned on his loan odyssey, returning to the league he hopes remains the destination of his destiny more mature, well-rounded and, if his early season form is any indicator, as one of the finest attackers in the division.

When the impossible fairytale of a boy in his mid-teens making a profound and instant impact at the Bernabeu didn’t materialise, some doubted whether Odegaard had the talent to justify the hype. But in Holland he began to show why he had elicited such giddy excitement in the first place, particularly as he scored 11 goals and provided 12 assists for Vitesse last season.

Now, at the Anoeta, he finds himself among kindred spirits in Adnan Januzaj and Alexander Isak, both young players rebuilding and showing their true potential with La Real after being burdened with expectation earlier in their careers. He is also alongside resident Sociedad superstar-in-the-making, 22-year-old Mikel Oyarzabal, and a solid supporting cast made up of striker Willian Jose and midfielders Asier Illarramendi and Mikel Merino.

And Odegaard is thriving.

With two goals and two assists to his name already this term, Odegaard, on average, is directly involved in a La Liga goal every other game. His confidence is such that, of every La Real player to have featured in all eight league games so far this season, he has the second-highest average of passes per 90 minutes, and only Toni Kroos and Santi Cazorla can better his total of 23 chances created.

He is orchestrating one of the most vibrant and youthful attacks in the Spanish top flight and, with the way he glides inside from the right and weaves improbable passes between opposition defenders – whisper it – he is beginning to resemble Lionel Messi stylistically.

His assist in the 4-0 victory over Alaves in September was a case in point. Collecting the ball 30 yards from goal in the inside-right position, already on the half-turn, he nut-megged Tomas Pina as he glided centrally, before sliding an inch-perfect pass between multiple opponents for Oyarzabal to score.

Odegaard is in the initial months of a two-year loan deal with La Real, still contracted to Real Madrid. And despite having spent much of the last three seasons away from the Bernabeu, the 21-cap Norwegian international insists his sees his future back in the Spanish capital.

"I'm dreaming to be the best I can be,” Odegaard told ESPN. “You never know what happens in football but my dream, and what I'm hoping for, is to play for Madrid."

Madrid have spent more than £700m on new arrivals since Odegaard was signed back in January 2015, and there was a worry the 20-year-old was becoming a forgotten man, as the likes of Eden Hazard and 19-year-old Vinicius Junior pointed to the future of Los Blancos’ frontline.

We have to bear in mind that he was very young when he joined Real Madrid and he is getting better and better, but he's still very young,” Emilio Butragueno, Real Madrid’s director of institutional relations, said of Odegaard recently. “Right now he's playing very well for Real Sociedad and of course we are following him because he belongs to Real Madrid and we are very excited about his future.”

Odegaard’s form with La Real this season, who are shaping up to be top-four contenders, is reminding Madrid the investment they made four and a half years ago is poised to pay off.

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