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WHAT HAPPENED?
Carlo Ancelotti admitted that “there was no room for him to prove his quality” when asked about his decision to allow Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard to leave Real Madrid four seasons ago. Odegaard, who has been turning out for Los Blancos’ Champions League quarter-final opponents, was allowed to leave Santiago Bernabeu for Premier League giants Arsenal for a fee of around £30 million in the summer of 2021.
Ancelotti acknowledged that both Odegaard and Real Madrid “suffered” due to the intense competition for places in midfield at the time, but stated that the Norwegian ultimately made the right decision in leaving the club for a fresh challenge.
WHAT ANCELOTTI SAID
Speaking to reporters, Ancelotti said: “Look, everybody who disagreed with my options at the time were right—some players were suffering, Martin was one of them. He was seriously suffering, not because I am a terrible person, but because we were competing with so many good players.”Now, I have seen what he has done over the last few years. Like I said, I speak with him a lot and I really like Martin. I think he is a wonderful human being and a brilliant player, like everybody can see now. Whether he is a good person because I gave him that line, or he is a good person because he went to different places and learned from experiences, I don’t know. But he has grown as a human being and as a player. With that, you never know—sometimes people make choices that can change their life for the better, so that is what I think.” were the words from the Real Madrid coach, who has been known to bring young players with progressive playing time for Real Madrid, like Valverde, Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler, Endrick, Vini Jr, Rodrygo, Camavinga, Tchouameni, Asensio, and more.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Odegaard has gone on to play an important role in the Arsenal first team since his move to the Premier League, following on from his impressive loan spell at Arsenal. He has since become a key figure at the club and was named captain, contributing consistently in terms of goals and assists.
Despite some injuries this season, his impact is still considerable for the Gunners, with 5 goals and 8 assists in 34 matches so far this season.
WHAT NEXT?
Odegaard has been named in Arsenal’s starting XI for their Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie against Real Madrid, with the Norwegian getting his first competitive look at his former side since leaving Santiago Bernabeu for England. The match represents an opportunity for Odegaard to show just how much he has grown since his departure.
Arsenal will try to secure the second spot in the Premier League, where they sit 11 points behind leaders Liverpool, and has a competitive test for the Champions League quarter-finals against Real Madrid.
