Martin Ødegaard

Martin Ødegaard

Ødegaard playing for Real Madrid Castilla in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Martin Ødegaard
Date of birth	(1998-12-17) 17 December 1998 (age 18)
Place of birth	Drammen, Norway
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Attacking midfielder / Winger
Club information
Current team	SC Heerenveen (on loan from Real Madrid)
Number	17
Youth career
	Drammen Strong
2009–2014	Strømsgodset
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2015	Strømsgodset	23	(5)
2015–2017	Real Madrid B	60	(5)
2015–	Real Madrid	1	(0)
2017–	→ Heerenveen (loan)	2	(0)
National team‡
2013	Norway U15	6	(0)
2013	Norway U16	2	(0)
2014	Norway U17	4	(0)
2014–	Norway U21	8	(2)
2014–	Norway	9	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 January 2017. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 March 2016

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 January 2017.

Martin Ødegaard (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈmɑʈɪn ˈøːdəˌɡɔːɾ]; born 17 December 1998) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Dutch club SC Heerenveen on loan from Real Madrid and the Norway national team.

He made his debut for Strømsgodset Toppfotball on 13 April 2014, becoming the youngest player to feature in Tippeligaen, and became its youngest goalscorer on 16 May. After being a regular part of the team in his first season and training with several foreign clubs, Ødegaard was signed by Real Madrid in January 2015. He was registered for their reserve team, Real Madrid Castilla, but trained mainly with the first team. On 23 May 2015, he became the youngest player to represent Real Madrid. In January 2017, he was loaned to SC Heerenveen for 18 months.

Ødegaard made his international debut against the United Arab Emirates on 27 August 2014, becoming the youngest debutant for the senior team at the age of 15 years and 253 days. On 13 October 2014, he became the youngest player to feature in a qualifying match for the UEFA European Championship.

Ødegaard spent his first years in the local sports club Drammen Strong. His father, Hans Erik Ødegaard, a former footballer, co-founded a football section in the club, and became the coach of his son's team. In 2005, when Ødegaard was six, his parents and others each invested 50,000 kroner so that the local club could refit their gravel field, Kjappen, with artificial turf. This has been cited as crucial for his development, as Ødegaard spent countless hours on the field.