Martin Odegaard

Martin Odegaard is the most intelligent footballer in the Premier League, and watching him orchestrate Arsenal’s attack is like watching a chess grandmaster who also happens to be able to run. The Norwegian was the youngest player to debut for Real Madrid at just 16 — a fact that could have crushed him under the weight of expectation — but after loan spells across Europe, he found his footballing home at Arsenal and has transformed himself into the captain and creative fulcrum of Mikel Arteta’s title-challenging side. Real Madrid’s loss. Arsenal’s gain. Football’s reminder that precocity and destiny are not always the same thing.

Odegaard’s influence on Arsenal cannot be overstated without sounding hyperbolic, so let me be hyperbolic: when he is absent, Arsenal are a fundamentally different and inferior team. His movement between the lines is supernatural, his ability to pick passes in spaces that appear to exist only for him is maddening for opponents, and his increasingly prolific goalscoring from midfield has added a lethal edge to a game that was already devastatingly complete. As captain, he leads with work rate and intensity rather than theatrics, setting the tone for Arsenal’s aggressive pressing from the very first minute.

His technical mastery and understated leadership have made him a favourite among football purists everywhere, including the rapidly growing Arsenal fanbase in Australia.

Career Statistics

Player Profile

With 130 appearances and 35 goals, Odegaard’s numbers confirm what the eye test has been screaming for years: this is one of the finest midfielders in world football. The Norwegian is central to everything Arsenal do in the 2025-26 season, and if the Gunners finally lift the Premier League trophy, his name will be etched into the story more prominently than any other. The question is not whether Odegaard is good enough to lead Arsenal to the title. It is whether the rest of the squad is good enough to match his standards.

VS — Chief sports columnist, australiafootball.com