Mbappe’s age-mate whose career has stagnated at Real Madrid 3 years later

It’s a tale of two 19-year-olds. Martin Odegaard started pre-season training with Real Madrid last month with the Groundhog Day topic of conversation among fans: where should he be loaned out to this season?

About 800 miles north Kylian Mbappe was parading the World Cup down the Champs-Elysees after scoring in the final and winning best young player of the tournament.

Mbappe was born three days after Odegaard in 1998. It’s not fair to compare him to someone who may very soon be beyond comparison with anyone. But it is a legitimate reminder of how differently things can go for massive teenage talents.

Image result for odegaard

Odegaard was warned in 2015 that moving to Real Madrid aged 16 might not be the best thing for his career – so far it looks as if the prophets of doom might have had a point.

Mbappe chose Monaco, in part because he believed they were a club who would give him a chance. He debuted aged 16 and 347 days. Odegaard debuted early too. But when he became the youngest player to make a league bow in Real Madrid’s history, aged 16 years and 157 days, it seemed more a gesture than part of his development plan.

Then-coach Carlo Ancelotti later suggested he had been somewhat coerced into giving the teenager his debut and even called the signing a marketing stunt.

Image result for odegaard

When Odegaard was loaned out in January 2016 to Dutch side Heerenveen the hope was that he would do enough to make the decision to recall him in June 2018 an easy one.

As it is, there were enough sparks of promise to tempt Real Madrid into giving him a season under new coach Julen Lopetegui but there are also still enough reasons to doubt he would get anywhere near the first team in competition with Marco Asensio, Isco, Gareth Bale, and at least one likely new signing in his preferred attacking midfield role. So it seems he will be off on loan once more when Real return to Spain from the United States, where he featured in their first tour game, a 2-1 defeat by Manchester United.

Image result for odegaard

‘The important thing is that I go somewhere where I am going to play,’ he told Norwegian news agency NTB at the end of May. ‘Another loan move to a Spanish club might be a good alternative.’

Odegaard had a quiet first half season at Heerenveen and his first full season at the club was impressive. It was cut short by injury when he broke a bone in his foot five weeks before the end of the campaign and he also missed the month of December with a fracture in his ankle but when he played, he played well. He finished the season with two goals in 24 league matches playing on the right of Heerenveen’s front three and scoring in a defeat by Ajax just before his injury.

Image result for odegaard

His form won him his place back in Lars Lagerback’s Norway squad after a spell back with the Under 21s. The somewhat rigid 4-4-2 being played, doesn’t really play to his strengths, but he has at least returned to the international stage.

Madrid would like to see him on the European club stage next season. A place in someone’s Europa League campaign would really bring him on. Villarreal have been mentioned before and Betis are another club who play his style of football and would mean he plays in Europe.

Staying at Madrid is not completely ruled out. Lopetegui is famed for working well with young talent, winning European Championship with Spain’s Under 19s and Under 21s before landing the senior team job. But it seems far more likely that he will have to pack his bags once more.

Image result for odegaard

At 19 there is still plenty of time for him to become one of Europe’s finest and a loan to a Spanish club this season could take him to another level.

Progress has been frustrating so far, something brought home to him, on Monday when another 19-year-old prodigy celebrated already being on top of the world. But time is on his side if he can only find a regular starting berth under coaches who will help him to keep moving forward.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *