Martin Odegaard insists he is "happy" with his decision to leave Real Madrid as he bids to lead Arsenal on another Premier League title charge.
Odegaard, 24, has captained the Gunners for the past two seasons and recently put pen to paper on a new five-year contract, committing his future to the Emirates until 2028. Before then, the Norwegian midfielder was still pursuing his dream of becoming a success at Real Madrid, who signed him aged 16 to win a global bidding war for his signature.
But after four loan spells and only eight first-team appearances, a disenfranchised Odegaard completed a permanent switch to north London in the summer of 2021 for an initial £30million. The 24-year-old has no regrets, although there's no ill feeling towards his days at the Bernabeu playing for "the biggest club in the world."
"My time in Madrid was good," Odgeaard explained this week while on international duty with Norway, as quoted by AS. "It was a positive stage. I have learned to mature and it has been a great learning experience, but I needed to play more.
"I am happy with the decision to leave and with how the race went. If I had not gone through Madrid I would not have reached the level I have today. Madrid is the biggest club in the world and the pressure there is too."
The former Los Blancos wonderkid, who'll face Spain on Sunday in a crucial Euro 2024 qualifier, previously opened up on his experience in Madrid for The Players' Tribune. Odegaard said of his ex-team-mates: "They were all very kind, and the ones who spoke English - Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo - took extra care of me in the beginning.
"They gave me advice and helped me a lot. But honestly I don't think any of them were particularly worried about a
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