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Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard insists leaving Real Madrid was the “best decision” for his career.
Odegaard signed for Madrid from Norwegian side Stromsgodset as a 17-year-old in January 2015 and made his debut for the first team on the last day of the season as he replaced Cristiano Ronaldo in a 7-3 win over Getafe at the Santiago Bernabeu.
But the youngster found first-team opportunities hard to come by the following campaign and was sent on loan to Heerenveen and then Vitesse Arnhem for two-and-a-half seasons.
After impressing on loan again in LaLiga with Real Sociedad in 2019-20, Madrid cut short their two-year agreement with the San Sebastian side to bring him back to the Bernabeu.
Again he found it difficult, however, and moved to Arsenal in the summer of 2021 after an initial spell on loan with the Gunners in 2020-21.
Speaking to reporters while away on international duty, he said: “My time at Madrid was good. It was a positive stage, although perhaps some might think otherwise. I learned a lot, I matured a lot and I was able to train with some of the best players in the world.
“But in the end, leaving was the best decision for me, I wanted to play more and continue growing. I played with them and I enjoyed it. Maybe the opportunity came too soon but It was a great experience.”
And he added: “I’m happy with the decision I made and how it went. If I hadn’t gone through Madrid I wouldn’t have reached the level I have today.
“Real Madrid is the biggest club in the world and the pressure is noticeable, even if it wasn’t as much as Ronaldo, [David] Beckham and company had there.”
After making only 11 first-team appearances with Real Madrid, Odegaard has featured 114 times for Arsenal and scored 28 goals.
He is also the Gunners’ captain and a hugely popular player with the fans.
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