Ronaldo once tipped Odegaard as one of his top five wonderkids, and now the Arsenal skipper is one of the top midfielders in Europe.
Back in 2015, when they were both at Real Madrid, Ronaldo named Odegaard as one of his five most exciting young players in world football, alongside Neymar, Eden Hazard, Paul Pogba and Memphis Depay.
Ronaldo's prediction comes true
Fast forward to today, and it's clear that Ronaldo's prediction has come true. Odegaard is now regarded as one of the best midfielders in Europe, and he's been a key player for Arsenal since joining the club in 2021.
When Odegaard made his Real Madrid debut in 2015, he was just 16 years old, making him the youngest player in the club's history. He came on as a substitute for Ronaldo in a 7-3 win over Getafe.
Ancelotti's comments on Odegaard
Despite Ronaldo's praise for Odegaard, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti wasn't interested in the young player. In his 2016 autobiography Quiet Leadership, Ancelotti labelled Odegaard's arrival at the club as a "PR exercise."
Ancelotti wrote: "When Real Madrid decided to sign a kid from Norway, 16-year-old Martin Odegaard, I thought, 'I don't care if he comes in or not because he's not going to play for me now'.
"He could go on to be the best player in the world after I'm gone, but I'm not interested in the signing. He is being recruited for the future, for other managers after my time."
Ancelotti's comments are a testament to the fact that even the best players can be overlooked by managers who are more interested in short-term success than long-term development.
