Pep Guardiola "needed five minutes" to reach a decision on Martin Odegaard, 15 years old.
When Pep Guardiola was in charge of German giants Bayern Munich and Odegaard was just a youngster, the Arsenal captain made quite an impression on him.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has recalled his first meeting with Martin Odegaard before of Wednesday night's crucial title clash with Arsenal at the Etihad.
Odegaard is the Gunners' captain now, but he was once a kid wonder who drew interest from every big European team on the continent. After representing his country at the age of 15, the dynamic playmaker was a big topic, and he visited a number of major clubs in December 2014, ready to take the next step in his career.
Bayern Munich, which was led by Guardiola at the time, was interested in the then-teenager. He has now detailed how the couple first met over ten years before the forthcoming championship match.
"I recall him coming with his father for two or three days of training sessions." "It took me five minutes to realize, 'this player plays well,'" Guardiola told the press.
"I believe he went on a training tour throughout Europe for however many clubs." Finally, Arsenal was appealing to him because he was an amazing player, captain at his age in Arsenal in a short period because you have to be a particular personality, has the strength to be captain. Mikel [Arteta] would not award him the captaincy if he lacked the strength to do so."
Odegaard joined Spanish giants Real Madrid as a 16-year-old and failed to live up to the great expectations put on his youthful shoulders.
After a number of loan spells in Holland and Spain, Odegaard eventually joined Arsenal on a permanent basis in the summer of 2021, following an outstanding six-month loan spell with the Gunners.
It wasn't long before he was named club captain, and comments from Arteta last July explain why he was awarded the armband and align with Guardiola's attitude about Odegaard's strength to be captain at such a young age.
"What I've seen over the last 18 months that he's been with us - he represents the values of this football club, of this team, of his teammates and staff in the best possible way," Arteta said.
"His desire and ambition to elevate this club, to push this team, to contribute." And the way he is respected by everyone in this organization. He's also the captain of his national team, and I believe he made the proper decision."
Odegaard has had his finest season in terms of output to date, scoring 12 goals and registering seven assists in the league alone this season.
If the Arsenal captain can lead his team to a stunning victory at the Etihad on Wednesday night, Odegaard has a good chance of winning the Premier League by the end of May.
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