Martin Ødegaard (born 17 December 1998) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for and captains both Premier League club Arsenal and the Norway national team.

[5][6] Ødegaard began his senior club career at age 15 in 2014, playing for Strømsgodset; he set the Tippeligaen record for its youngest goalscorer, and in 2015, signed for Real Madrid in a transfer worth an initial €4 million (Kr.

[13][14] Drammen Strong was twice selected by Ødegaard to receive a prize of 50,000 kroner (€5,800), when the young player was given the Statoil talent award for April 2014 and for the 2014 season.

[15] Later, in 2015, Drammen Strong received 250,000 kroner, equivalent to approximately €29,000, as a gift from Strømsgodset Toppfotball when Ødegaard was sold to Real Madrid.

[25] He made his European debut on 16 July, replacing Lars-Christopher Vilsvik for the final five minutes of the club's 1–0 home defeat to Steaua București in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round.

[33] In December 2014, during the Norwegian close season, he trained with the first teams at Liverpool,[34] Bayern Munich[35] and visited Arsenal's London Colney.

[36] On 21 January 2015, Real Madrid reached an agreement to sign Ødegaard from Strømsgodset, after training with the senior team earlier in the month.

[44] In April, Ødegaard was dropped from Castilla after a run of four defeats, with staff finding problems with him training with the first team while playing for the reserves, in addition to a language barrier.

[45] On 29 April, he was included in Real Madrid's matchday squad for the first time for a home La Liga fixture against UD Almería, as Ancelotti was without Gareth Bale, Luka Modrić, and Karim Benzema through injury.

[46] On 23 May, in the final fixture of the season, he made his debut for Real Madrid as a 58th-minute substitute for hat-trick scorer and then-reigning FIFA Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo in an eventual 7–3 home win over Getafe CF.

[54] He made his Eredivisie debut four days later in a 2–0 home win over ADO Den Haag, replacing Arbër Zeneli in the last seconds.

[66] On 14 September, he scored his second goal for the club in a 2–0 home victory over Atletico Madrid at the Anoeta Stadium, in what was regarded by pundits as a man-of-the-match performance.

[67] He registered his first assist with a 20-yard line-breaking pass to Mikel Oyarzabal against fellow Basques Deportivo Alavés, in a move praised by fans and pundits alike for its technique.

[70] Real Sociedad reached the final of the competition, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain; they also qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League after finishing sixth in La Liga and the season was a successful one for Ødegaard on a personal level.

[76] Three days after he signed, he made his debut against rivals Manchester United in the Premier League, coming on as a substitute for Emile Smith Rowe in a 0–0 home draw.

[80] On 11 March, Ødegaard scored his first goal for Arsenal with a 20-yard strike in a 3–1 away win over Olympiacos in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 tie.

[82] On 14 March, Ødegaard scored in back-to-back games, picking up his first Premier League goal in Arsenal's 2–1 home win over Tottenham Hotspur in the 203rd North London derby.

[95] On Boxing Day, Ødegaard provided two assists in Arsenal's first match since the conclusion of the World Cup, a 3–1 win over West Ham.

[107] On 21 August 2023, Ødegaard scored the only goal of the game against Crystal Palace from the spot in Arsenal's first away match of the 2023–24 Premier League season.

[110] On 22 September, Ødegaard signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal, saying it "was a really easy decision" and "I've found a place where I can be really settled and call my home.

"[111] On 11 February 2024, in a 6–0 away win against West Ham, Ødegaard became the first player on record since 2003–04 to complete 100+ passes (107), create at least five chances (7), and assist multiple goals (2) in the same Premier League match.

[113] On 23 April, Ødegaard was instrumental in a 5–0 home victory against Chelsea, assisting their third and fifth goals, and became the first Arsenal player since Mesut Özil to create eight chances from open play in a Premier League match.

At the age of 15 years and 300 days, this made him the youngest player to ever play in a European Championship qualifier, breaking a record held since 1983 by Icelander Sigurður Jónsson.

[136][137] On 29 March 2015, Ødegaard became the youngest player to start a European Championship qualifier at the age of 16 years and 101 days in a 5–1 loss to Croatia.

[143] Touted as a "modern" playmaker known for his deft touch, technique, dribbling ability, vision and range of passing, as well as his ability to provide precise, bending deliveries from dead balls and set pieces,[144][145] the left-footed Ødegaard is often compared to attacking midfielders Mesut Özil and Guti due to his creativity on the pitch and direct, incisive movement of the ball to create chances for his teammates.

"[147][148] A hardworking player, Ødegaard is an energetic, effective presser of the ball, often covering large distances in order to help his team win back possession.

[149] Considered a footballing prodigy and one of the best upcoming talents of his generation in his youth,[150][151] a 2014 article in the Liverpool Echo described Ødegaard as "an attack-minded midfielder very much in the modern mould.

We have worked a lot on bringing the ball closely to his feet, so he can change direction quickly, so even if he's physically weaker than the others he doesn't get caught because he's able to get away.

"[153] After Ødegaard signed for Real Madrid at the age of 16, Norwegian former football scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen praised his mentality, stating that he had "overcome every challenge in front of him".

[158][157][159] Due to his age, Ødegaard was absent from the computer game Football Manager 2015 until his father gave permission to use his son's likeness.