22 September 2023 , 13:00
718
0
Martin Odegaard could have joined Tottenham as a teenager - but for a call from Zinedine Zidane.
Tottenham were keen on the Arsenal captain and tried to sign Odegaard when he was still at Stromsgodset which was his first club in Norway. Former Tottenham technical director Franco Baldini flew to Norway, met Odegaard’s father Hans Erik and wined and dined Stromsgodset directors.
Odegaard had made his debut for Stromsgodset aged 15, was regarded as one of the most sought-after young talents in Europe and Spurs put in a huge amount of effort to try and win over his family and also his club.
Baldini was desperate to get Odegaard and returned to London hoping to strike a deal - and then Real Madrid made their move. Real Madrid legend Zidane, who coached the club’s B team before becoming manager, called Odegaard directly to tempt him to move to the Bernabeu.
Odegaard has now committed himself to Arsenal for the long term and will captain them in Sunday’s North London derby - but he could easily have ended up playing for the other side. Odegaard signed for Real Madrid when he was just 16 - for just £3m with the fee rising to £6m - ahead of all of Europe’s top clubs with Tottenham one of the teams who missed out.
Mikel Arteta's dream Arsenal line up as last-gasp January transfers are secured
Martin Odegaard snubbed Tottenham's advances to sign for Real Madrid (Real Madrid via Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY: Where does Odegaard rank among the Premier League's best midfielders? Let us know your top three in the comments below.
Norway captain Odegaard struggled to get regular game time at Real Madrid and was loaned out several times - including Heerenveen, Vitesse Arnhem and Real Sociedad - before joining Arsenal. And Mirror Sport can reveal that former Arsenal star Steve Morrow played a key role in Odegaard’s decision to move to the Emirates when other clubs wanted to sign him two years ago.
Morrow, who later joined the Football Association, was Arsenal’s head of youth development but it was another club executive who had pursued Odegaard when he was still in Norway. It is believed that Arsenal’s interest and determination to get Odegaard as a kid was a key factor in why he was keen on them when the chance came round again to sign for the Gunners.
Odegaard has also revealed that when he played the FIFA computer game as a kid that he always played as Arsenal.