Martin Ødegaard Scouting Report At Real Sociedad 2019/2020: Projecting The Norwegian’s Return To Real Madrid – Player Analysis

Martin Ødegaard is currently going through a real Cinderella story.

Of course, he immediately started as a ‘superstar in the making’, and soon after European giants discovered his talents, he was snapped up by Real Madrid. 

But things really did not go as planned.

Shortly after joining Real Madrid Castilla, the young star was loaned out on numerous occasions, moving to the Eredivisie to play for both SC Heerenveen and Vitesse Arnhem.

It was during that time—especially while donning the latter club’s colours—that he started to make an impression again.

Naturally, his abilities progressed with each step he took, and even though they were not truly meteoric until his return to Spain, they were quite steady and consistent.

Fast forward to the summer of 2019, and Ødegaard went from a ‘failed Galáctico’ to the ‘next Luka Modrić’, and despite being on a two-year loan at Real Sociedad, he is bound to return to the capital to fulfil his destiny as a Los Blancos once more.

With rumours that the 20-year-old prodigy may cut his stay at La Real short, this tactical analysis in the form of a Martin Ødegaard scout report will look ahead to 2020 and see how exactly this superstar could fit into Zinedine Zidane’s tactics and what roles Zizou could have in store for him.

Martin Ødegaard Style Of Play

Before we delve more in-depth into the tactical analysis, we need to review Ødegaard’s player profile briefly.

Even though the Norwegian was primarily a right-winger – given that he spent the majority of his career on that flank – his role has evolved over the years, and he has transitioned to more of an attacking midfielder and a more traditional No. 10.

Now, he primarily positions himself just behind the striker in Real Sociedad’s 4-2-3-1 and can either drift wide or stay centrally with a largely free role to move across the final third.

His skill set enables him to attack from both central and wide channels, as well as drop deep to help progress the ball and fuel the build-up.

Ødegaard is known for his excellent passing capabilities as well as extraordinary technique and dribbling skills.

The only thing he still needs to develop further is his defensive contributions.

With Real Sociedad’s system revolving around good counter-pressing tactics, he is often the man to snatch the ball in the opposition’s half but not always the first to track back and defend in deeper areas.

Martin Ødegaard Heat Map & Positions

Developing that trait, however, might prove vital if he is to succeed at Real Madrid.

But more on that later.