Martin Odegaard, who is leading Arsenal to the top of the Premier League this season, revealed that he had rejected Arsenal and became a hot topic.

In an interview with the Players Tribune on the 10th (Korean time), he said, “Before joining Real Madrid, I turned down the offer to sign Arsenal.”

Since his youth in Norway, Odegaard has received attention from many European big clubs with evaluations of being the best talent of his age, and chose Real Madrid at the age of 16.

“I went to Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Arsenal. It felt special to travel around in a private plane,” Odegaard said.

“I’m not trying to say this. Actually, I almost chose Arsenal. I met Arsene Wenger, and he took me and my dad to dinner. It was cool, but it also felt weird. Arsene Wenger. A legend I grew up watching on TV. He was eating steak across from me. I was so nervous. I even thought, ‘If I eat french fries, will they judge me? I just shouldn’t eat it.'” 스포츠토토

Contrary to plans, Odegaard, who had no opportunity at Real Madrid, reconnected with Arsenal on loan in the winter transfer window of the 2020-21 season.

After that, he made a complete transfer in the 2021-22 season, and now he has established himself as an irreplaceable player and even kicked the captain’s armband. At Arsenal, he recorded 7 goals and 4 assists in 36 games last season, and is making a big success this season with 8 goals and 5 assists in 19 games.

Arsenal legend Ian Wright said last month, “I was quite surprised when I first signed Odegaard on loan. He was such a good player compared to the growing Arsenal. He was a really good player for the team at the time.” “I saw him, but he didn’t have the patience he needed. Arsenal benefited from that. Now we just have to see how Odegaard leads the team as captain.”