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#2 Martin Odegaard (Real Madrid to Real Sociedad, loan)
Ever since moving to Madrid from Strømsgodset as a 15-year-old back in January 2015 amid much fanfare, to say that Norwegian wunderkind Martin Odegaard has had an eventful career would be an understatement.
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At the age of 16, he became the youngest ever player to feature for the senior side, and everyone assumed that it was only a matter of time before he became a first-team regular. However, his performances failed to impress manager Zinedine Zidane, and Odegaard was promptly sent to SC Heerenveen for the first of two loan spells in the Eredivisie just a couple of months after making his first start for Los Blancos.
He would remain in Holland for the next two and a half seasons, playing a total of 82 games for Heerenveen and then Vitesse Arnhem, scoring 14 goals and assisting 17 more. This impressive return prompted Madrid to bring him back to Spain, this time loaning him out to Real Sociedad, where he has been one of the stand-out players of the season. With all that has gone on in his career, it’s easy to forget that Odegaard is still just 21 years of age!
Alongside players of a similar age such as Mikel Oyarzabal (22), Adnan Januzaj (24), Mikel Merino (23), and Alexander Isak (19), Odegaard is part of a youthful yet formidable frontline for Sociedad. Playing in a more central position as opposed to his previous right-wing spot, Odegaard has contributed 4 goals and 5 assists in 23 appearances this season. And it’s not just his skill with the ball that has caught the eye of his parent club - the stats suggest that Odegaard also covers the most distance, produces the most changes in pace, and makes the most consecutive sprints of any player in the Sociedad squad.
As Los Blancos look for someone to replace Luka Modric in the heart of their midfield, it seems increasingly likely that one of their own players can carry the torch forward. They even had the foresight to include the option of ending Odegaard’s two-year loan deal at Sociedad early to bring him back in the summer - at the rate at which he’s going, however, they’d be disappointed that they can’t make it happen sooner.
