Now I can understand how crazy joining Real Madrid was, going there so young, with all of that attention and pressure. I didn't think about it too much back then' Martin Odegaard opens up on joining Real Madrid as a 15-year-old

"We had to wake up early, so I just grabbed some clothes from the top of my wardrobe and packed my suitcase. I thought that we'd get there, then go to the hotel, have a shower and get changed. We arrived and it was really busy straight away, he says, looking back on the day of his medical. We went straight from the airport to the hospital and then on to the training ground it was non-stop."

"Then suddenly they said, OK, now we go to the press conference.' You can see it in that press conference the striped jumper and my hair everywhere! I was just in the moment. I was happy, proud. I didn't really care about anything else around it. That was just how it was. Now I can understand how crazy that was. Going there so young, with all of that attention and pressure."

Martin Odegaard joined Real Madrid at 15 in 2015, moving from Stromsgodset in a €4 million deal. The transfer brought massive hype, scrutiny and expectation around his career. His arrival involved a hectic schedule of airport, hospital, training ground and a press conference, producing a memorable bad hair day and vivid early impressions. Odegaard made only 11 first-team appearances for Real Madrid and spent time on loan at Heerenveen, Vitesse Arnhem and Real Sociedad. He transferred to Arsenal in 2021, where he established himself after the development gained during those loan spells. He did not expect the extended loan period when signing.

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