"The fact that I came on for Ronaldo on my debut was both special and unreal"

He arrived at a young age in Madrid, he grew in the Netherlands, excelled in San Sebastián and now, following a short return to the Spanish capital, Martin Odegaard is exciting in London. He gave a short review of this career in an interview for Arsenal's website.

The Norwegian began the story with his time in Dutch football. "When I left for Heerenveen, I did so afer having spent three years at Madrid. I wasn't playing in the first team and, although playing with the Castilla was fine, after this time I didn't think it was too good for my development", he said.

"So I decided to leave. I thought that going there would make me grow as a person. And when I left for Vitesse the following year, I also felt that it would be perfect for my development on the pitch", he continued.

His departure came about because Madrid felt he was not ready for the first team. "For me, the most important thing were the plans that they had for me at the club, which involved training with the first team and playing with the Castilla, where we had Zidane as coach at the time", he remembered.

"I thought that for me, in that moment at 16-years old, it was a good solution", Martin Odegaard noted, refering to his first transfer to Heerenveen where he stayed for two seasons.

But before leaving he had the pleasure of coming onto the pitch for the first time as a member of the first team. He remembers it fondly. "I was excited and anxious to make my debut. They told me I would play 30 to 35 minutes", he described.

"And when I saw Cristiano Ronaldo coming off for me in the substitution, it was both special and unreal. I will remember this moment for the rest of my life", Martin Odegaard concluded, with a smile on his face.