Either you are burdened with being a leader, or it makes you grow and improve. After the first matches, Ødegaard appears to be a bigger player, a bigger character and a bigger character, ex-Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand tells the Daily Mail.
Not everyone was equally convinced that the midfielder would handle the responsibility that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has given him as captain this season.
Ferdinand was among those who criticized the decision. When Ødegaard became captain, Ferdinand stated the following to his own YouTube channel:
The captain is a heavy burden to carry. We may see another Ødegaard this season.
– Start great
With the result in hand, Ferdinand threw his arms in the air and admitted he was wrong.
– You said the captain’s armband can be heavy to wear. I said that could Be that as it may, there was an opportunity for that. Some players become different when they earn the captain’s armband. But he started the season fantastically. As a type of player, I really like Ødegaard, and last season was great, says Ferdinand.
Rio Ferdinand admits he has his doubts as to whether Odegaard will ever succeed in getting the role of captain permanently.
Photo: David Klein/Reuters
The aging A-list star thinks Ødegaard started showing why he’s one of the hottest guys in the world when he was just 15 years old.
Against Fulham at the weekend, the Norway captain scored his third goal of the season and was a strong contributor to Arsenal winning the fourth consecutive league title in as many matches and topping the Premier League.
After the 2-1 win, Ødegaard was voted the best player on the pitch by Arsenal and Sky Sports supporters, plus he was later named in the squad for the tour by both BBC and WhoScored.
“True proof of leadership”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was asked after the match what he thinks Odegaard is contributing to the top of the league now.
– Effect. And that, in tough times, takes the ball and makes things happen. That’s what he did today, Arteta said after the win against Fulham.
Martin Ødegaard has great confidence in Mikel Arteta.
Photo: GLYN KIRK / AFP
Newspapers praised the Norwegian for his leadership skills. Football London believes Ødegaard has shown “real proof of leadership”.
Odegaard told the BBC he was taking on his managerial responsibilities at Arsenal.
I feel more confident and calm on the track, so I try to use it in a good way and do my best for the team. I think everyone here is expected to take a leadership role, even if you are young, Odegaard tells the BBC.
– A stroke of genius
Current Sky Sports expert Paul Merson has over 300 appearances for Arsenal and continues to follow the club closely.
Paul Merson allowed himself to be influenced by Edgard.
Photo: Adrien Denis/AFP
in the date of Sky Sports Merson writes that he has allowed himself to be greatly influenced by what the Norwegian has done this season since Arteta awarded him the captain’s badge.
It was a very good start to Martin Odegaard’s tenure as captain. They paid Real Madrid £35m for him, which is hardly anything. It makes things happen, and when you’re able to do that, you’ve turned good play into goals and assists to score goals, and that’s when people start noticing that. That’s what he did, and it was a stroke of genius to award him the captaincy, Merson believes.
Although the Sky Sports expert is full of praise for Ødegaard, he notes that she is still early in the season.
We have to see what happens when things don’t go well with the team, and he doesn’t play as well. Will he be able to bring the team with him in the same way? But now it works very well. Merson says that for £35m, what he does is absolutely incredible.
Martin Odegaard settled as captain of Arsenal.
Photo: Andrew Coldridge/Reuters
How can Madrid let Odegaard go?
To Talksport after the match at the weekend, former Premier League player and current expert Tony Cacarino tied with Kevin De Bruyne. Cascarino believes Ødegaard was the player who really stood out.
In fact, the Norwegian was so good that Gary Lineker, one of Ball Island’s most respected footballing voices, asked a rhetorical question about what Real Madrid had in mind when they chose to sell him to Arsenal on a permanent deal.
– How can Real Madrid let Odegaard go while Modric and Kroos, who are at the end of their careers, said on the BBC’s Match of the Day programme.
The respect for the Norwegian player in the Premier League is growing, there is no doubt about that.
Arsenal’s next match will be played on Wednesday evening at home against Aston Villa in the English Premier League. There, many expect the red jerseys to achieve their fifth consecutive league win over Steven Gerrard’s side, who opened the season with three defeats in their first four games.
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