Martin Odegaard’s career has been closely tracked ever since he signed for Real Madrid in 2015.
The Norwegian arrived at the age of 16 with a reputation as football’s next big star. A talented playmaker, his manager at Stromsgodset likened him to David Silva and, even more optimistically, Lionel Messi.
But little more than two years on from Odegaard’s arrival in Spain, he currently finds himself at a complete crossroads.
Now 18, Odegaard joined Dutch outfit Heerenveen in January with the view to him gaining first-team experience.
But even that hasn’t worked out as Madrid, Odegaard or Heerenveen had hoped.
In 14 appearances for the club, the youngster hasn’t scored a single goal and has provided three assists. More worryingly is the fact that he has completed 90 minutes just twice since February.
In four games this month, Odegaard has played a total of 100 minutes.
It begs the question of how much scouting went into Odegaard’s signing two years ago.
Bayern Munich didn't think Odegaard was ready
Bayern Munich were interested in signing the former Stromsgodset player in 2015 but they felt he wasn’t ready.
And according to a Bayern scout, this is what propelled Madrid to make a move.
The Bavarians told Odegaard to stay in Norway for another season. As a result, Los Blancos knew Bayern weren’t ready to buy him and so decided to splash £2.3 million for him.
“We recommended that he stayed there for at least one more year, because the club thought that he wasn’t ready yet,” Bayern’s scout in Scandinavia, Björn Andersson, told Fotballskanalen, via AS.
Madrid offered more money
Once Madrid came calling, Bayern new their chances of securing Odegaard were slim.
“I spoke with his father many times, but they chose Real Madrid,” Andersson added. “With what they pay him there, who would say no?”
Odegaard needs a fresh start
It’s unclear what Madrid’s plans for Odegaard are, but Andersson believes the playmaker should look to reignite his career elsewhere.
“He needs a new start somewhere else, it’s not yet too late for him,” the Bayern scout continued.
Ancelotti: Odegaard's signing was a PR stunt
It’s worth remembering that Bayern’s current manager Carlo Ancelotti believes Madrid’s signing of Odegaard was just a PR stunt.
The Italian was Real’s head coach at the time but it was club president Florentino Perez who was behind the transfer.
"When Florentino buys a Norwegian footballer, you simply have to accept it," Ancelotti said in his book Quiet Leadership, via Sky Sports.
"He could be the best player in the world, but I don't care because he was not a player who I asked for. That signing was to do with PR."