Ødegaard joins Norway for Euro 2016 qualifier
The Local Norway - [email protected]
Published: 18 Mar, 2015 CET.
Updated: Wed 18 Mar 2015 20:46 CET
Norwegian teenage midfielder Martin Ødegaard has been picked to play for Norway in their Euro 2016 qualifier against Croatia this month, the fourth time the footballing prodigy will represent his country.
The the 16-year-old has yet to be fielded in a match by Real Madrid, more than three months after the Spanish club signed him in January.
But Per-Mathias Hogmo, Noway’s coach said on Tuesday that he had travelled to Madrid to watch Ødegaard play last weekend, and, after holding discussions with the club’s manager Carlo Ancelotti and its coach Zinedine Zidane, was confident Ødegaard was ready.
"I had a good meeting with Ancelotti and Zidane," Hogmo said in a press conference on Tuesday. "I'm glad to see we see things the same way. They have great faith in Martin and they have set a plan for him to continue developing."
Ødegaard, a complete unknown only a year ago, became one of football’s hottest properties last year, with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Liverpool all reported to be racing to sign him.
The teen became the youngest footballer ever to play in the Norwegian national team when he was chosen for the team in August, when he was just 15 years and 253 days old.
The Norwegian squad will travel to Marbella in Spain on Monday for a week’s intense training before they go against Croatia in Zagreb on March 28th.
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The the 16-year-old has yet to be fielded in a match by Real Madrid, more than three months after the Spanish club signed him in January.
But Per-Mathias Hogmo, Noway’s coach said on Tuesday that he had travelled to Madrid to watch Ødegaard play last weekend, and, after holding discussions with the club’s manager Carlo Ancelotti and its coach Zinedine Zidane, was confident Ødegaard was ready.
"I had a good meeting with Ancelotti and Zidane," Hogmo said in a press conference on Tuesday. "I'm glad to see we see things the same way. They have great faith in Martin and they have set a plan for him to continue developing."
Ødegaard, a complete unknown only a year ago, became one of football’s hottest properties last year, with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Liverpool all reported to be racing to sign him.
The teen became the youngest footballer ever to play in the Norwegian national team when he was chosen for the team in August, when he was just 15 years and 253 days old.
The Norwegian squad will travel to Marbella in Spain on Monday for a week’s intense training before they go against Croatia in Zagreb on March 28th.
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