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"There is no Ødegaard issue," says the player himself
Photo:
Juan Herrero / EPA-EFE / REX
On January 20, 2015, almost five years ago, Real Madrid presented a transfer coup to the world public.
After competing with half the continent, the services of the Norwegian Martin Ødegaard had been secured.
He had only just turned 16 at the time and had already made his debut in his national team.
The talk was of a new Messi (because of his supposed style of play), a new Ronaldo (henceforth his club-mate) - or whoever the commentators of the comparisons deemed worthy.
Ødegaard trained with the first team and played for the second, which was then directed by Zinédine Zidane.
A construct that sounded attractive, but in the end "kept him trapped somewhere in the middle," as he later realized himself.
In the meaningless last game of the season in 2015, he was allowed to play for half an hour as the youngest real professional in history, as a substitute for Ronaldo.
Then it became quiet around him.
At times: very quiet.
Ødegaard returned to Real in the summer of 2020 after borrowing in Heerenveen, Arnhem and San Sebastián.
At the last stop in the Basque Country, he should actually have stayed a year longer, but his sometimes excellent performances paired with the financial bottlenecks of the corona crisis made him Real's recycled hope.
"He can play in many positions and has great quality," said Zidane at the time, who had at least welcomed the immediate return action, if not initiated.
It's January again and Ødegaard has only completed 367 season minutes, across all competitions.
In the past nine games, the attacking midfielder has only been on the field for five minutes.
Is it going wrong again with him and Real?
The Supercup is currently being played in Spain.
Last season it was inflated to four teams because Saudi Arabia paid 40 million euros for it.
Because of the corona pandemic, this time it is only enough for Andalusia.
Defending champions Real will play their semi-finals in Malaga against cup finalists Athletic Bilbao.
“The clock is running faster at Real Madrid.
It's like getting into Letterman's program as a comedian.
You have a few minutes that can bring you money, glamor and glory.
But if you don't squeeze every second: adiós «
Columnist at »As« about Martin Ødegaard
If Zidane takes it very seriously, he will have his epoch-making trio Casemiro-Modrić-Kroos in midfield.
If not, there might be a chance for the Norwegian too.
Maybe.
In front of him in the pecking order came Federico Valverde and Isco, who himself had fallen deep.
Behind that, Ødegaard seems to be the sixth and final choice.
Not only from the regulars he has to listen to the usual wisdom again: Real is not La Real (Sociedad).
"Anyone who comes here has to show the hunger of a youngster in every training session," lectures a club expert on the radio station "Ser".
A columnist for “As” warns: “The clock is running faster at Real Madrid.
It's like getting into Letterman's program as a comedian.
You have a few minutes that can bring you money, glamor and glory.
But if you don't squeeze every second: adiós. «
Ødegaard got his air time in the first few games.
Starting eleven, first at ex-club Real Sociedad, then at Betis.
Both times, however, he was replaced early, in Seville after a defensive error at half time, without him the match was shot.
Since then he has only started three times, most recently in a disgraceful 2-0 win in Donetsk, which brought Real to the verge of losing the Champions League and Zidane to losing his job.
Without Ødegaard things went better again.
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Real coach Zinédine Zidane
Photo: JAVIER BARBANCHO / REUTERS
All sorts of theories circulate about its degradation, some border on defamation.
About the one that Zidane was secretly angry with all the professionals he was already coaching Real's second team because they cut his son Enzo - their teammate - back then.
The national players Marcos Llorente (now Atlético) and Sergio Reguilón (Tottenham) or the strikers Borja Mayoral (AS Roma) and Mariano Díaz (even fewer playing minutes than Ødegaard) would also fall into this category.
Less conspiratorial explanations: the Covid turbulence and the short season preparation that make it difficult for newcomers this season in general.
Or various injuries, because of which Ødegaard never really found the rhythm.
The renaissance of Luka Modrić, whom he should replace in perspective.
And then there is the system: Ødegaard works best as the central offensive man in a 4-2-3-1, which Real hardly uses because of his established three-man midfield as well as because of the wide radius of action of the playful center forward Karim Benzema.
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At Real, Ødegaard (left) is only the sixth choice in midfield
Photo: Emilio Naranjo / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
In addition to all of this there is Ødegaard's rather withdrawn, not too flexible nature.
"Almost a robot," said Leonid Slutsky, his trainer in Arnhem.
That is precisely why he needs special attention.
The Ødegaards - father and sponsor Hans Erik is a coach himself, he has just started his first head coaching position at the Norwegian first division club Sandefjord - missed such impulses at Zidane in the first Real chapter.
The latter, in turn, so masterly in the management of cabin life, is suspicious of all airs that were not worked out.
There will be no preferential treatment with him.
It was different in San Sebastián, where Ødegaard was the focus of the game.
At Real, however, he has to find his place next to and, if in doubt, behind the exceptional playmakers Modrić and Kroos.
Can, does he want to be: one among many?
That is the real question, and Ødegaard is not the first child prodigy with her.
There are very few Messis and Ronaldos in history.
But many who successfully retrained to be waiters at a world association.
As well as those who were always better off as a chef at a 1b club.
And so another scenario is floating through the capital these days: that Ødegaard will return to San Sebastián in this winter transfer window.
It's not all too likely, too much can happen in this intense season and every player is still important.
In any case, Zinédine Zidane does not show his cards when he is asked again these days about the eternally prevented star.
"There is no issue of Ødegaard," he says then.
Nothing new, nothing going on: Of course, that is exactly the problem.
Icon: The mirror