Just 12 months ago, a 15-year-old Martin Odegaard was in the middle of his final year at school, worrying how we would fit in his exams around training with his local football team in Norway.
Now the footballing prodigy, who turned 16 last month, has signed for Real Madrid and will play alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
2014 was a whirlwind year for Odegaard, who rose from life as a schoolboy to being the youngest player to ever represent his nation before signing a £40,000-a-week deal with the European champions this week.
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Martin Odegaard, 16, has signed for Real Madrid, but just months ago he was fitting his secondary school studies around playing for his local team in Norway
Odegaard holds his shirt after being unveiled as a Real Madrid player, where he will be paid £40,000 a week
Odegaard’s proud family were at the signing at the Bernabeu stadium as he was announced as a Real Madrid player
Schoolboy to football star: Martin Odegaard, pictured with his brother, rose through the academy of his local team in Norway but now plays for the European champions
Odegaard became the youngest ever player to turn out for the Norwegian national side last year, just months after he made his first professional appearance in the Scandinavian nation’s premier league
Odegaard was brought up in the small riverside city of Drammen in a strong Christian family, with the teenager often expressing his faith on Twitter.
He played for the youth team at his local team Strømsgodset, where his father used to play, who accommodated his studies around playing football.
Odegaard always stood out from children his own age and started training with the adult side, who play in the Norwegian premier league, when he was just 13.
It was not long before his talent was noticed by prestigious clubs in Europe, with the teenager training with Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
Aged 15 years and 117 days, the attacking midfielder made history by becoming the youngest player to take to the field in a Norwegian premier league match, in April.
Just weeks later, after signing his first professional contract, he broke more records by becoming the youngest playing to score in the league.
Family man: The young footballer, pictured in Sweden with his mother, was brought up in a strong Christian family
Aged 15 years and 117 days, the attacking midfielder (far left) made history by becoming the youngest player to take to the field in a Norwegian premier league match in April
Just weeks after signing his first professional contract, Odegaard broke more records by becoming the youngest player to score in the league. Here he is pictured bottom left bowling with friends
Odegaard (pictured left in both photos) has also made three appearances for the Norwegian national team
The Norwegian sensation answered only in Norwegian during his press conference in Madrid yesterday, but will be joined at the Spanish club by his father who was also signed as a coach
Odegaard celebrates scoring for Stromsgodest in Norway in May 2014 at the age of just 15
But bigger things beckoned for Odegaard, who has since made three appearances for the Norwegian national football team.
Norway’s manager Per-Mathias Høgmo recently told Aftenposten: ‘He has developed enormously in a short time. He brought down barriers that I think neither he nor anyone else imagined would fall.
‘His way of playing, his talent, his ability to make choices and think, all of this is impressive,” he added.’
Even his own father Hans Erik said it was a only a matter of time before a big team on the continent tried to sign the 16-year-old.
There were suggestions Odegaard could be moving to England after he trained with his favourite team Liverpool, as well as Manchester City and Arsenal.
Celtic, Dutch club Ajax, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid all courted the growing talent, who eventually went for Madrid – who have also signed his father as a coach as part of the deal.
Aged 15 years and 117 days, the attacking midfielder made history by becoming the youngest player to take to the field in a Norwegian premier league match
Odegaard has played three times for Norway, including in a 2016 European Championship qualifier against Bulgaria
Odegaard will be paid £40,000 a week, which could rise to £80,000 when bonuses are added – small fry compared to some Real Madrid players but a huge sum of money for a teenager.
Despite the money and new-found fame, the 16-year-old is keeping his feet on the ground and will play for the Spanish team’s reserve side for the time being, which is managed by French World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane.
Odegaard said: ‘Madrid had the best conditions for me to develop and my aim now is to become the best player I can.
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‘It’s a big advantage for me that Real Madrid have a B team playing in a very competitive league and are managed by someone who was one of the best players in the world.’
Speaking of his new team mate before picking up the Ballon d’Or award, Cristiano Ronaldo said: ‘A good player. I think he’s a young boy, he can still grow.
‘He has a good future ahead. So we must give him time to learn, to take the best decisions but I see a lot of potential in that player. A good left foot.’
