Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard may have been lining up for the opposition in Sunday’s North London Derby until his fate was altered by contact from a Real Madrid legend
Martin Odegaard could have joined Tottenham as a teenager – but for a call from Zinedine Zidane.
â 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.â 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.