Мартин Эдегор Норвегийн шигшээг түүхэн амжилтад хөтөлж байна

This moment has been a lifetime in the making for Norway’s captain Martin Odegaard.

The orchestrator behind the country’s now famous Viking Row celebrations was born six months after their last World Cup appearance in 1998, and has carried his nation’s hopes of a return since his teens. He made his senior international debut at 15 in 2014, a year before his name first echoed across the globe following his transfer from boyhood club Stromsgodset to Real Madrid.

Norway were 53rd in the FIFA World Rankings when the midfielder was first called up. They now rank 19th, with Odegaard leading their charge. They have not just made up the numbers at their first World Cup for 28 years, either. Instead, they have knocked out Senegal, Ivory Coast and Brazil, African and South American heavyweights boasting swathes of international tournament experience.

The focus has mainly fixed on Norway’s superstar striker Erling Haaland, who has seven goals at this summer’s tournament, but influence goes beyond goals.

The 27-year-old captains Arsenal and Norway, but there is a sense that the character he has displayed at the World Cup is closer to the ‘real’ Odegaard.

As Norway’s clear skipper, rather than being part of a wider leadership group, there is naturally more room for the midfielder to express himself. His personality has duly shone through to the point where it can seem like the Odegaard who plays for Arsenal and the one in Norwegian colours are different people.

There is his passion when berating officials over decisions he feels are wrong, and the showboating around an annoyed Neymar that exuded a confidence not always on show in the Premier League — even if he and Neymar made up once the full-time whistle blew.

All this requires some context. Handed the Arsenal captaincy just one year after joining Arsenal, a young Odegaard was viewed as someone who led by example and only spoke when he felt it was necessary. That allowed his messages to carry more weight when he did speak up.

A club the size of Arsenal also do not need their captain to drive change on and off the pitch in the way a national team like Norway did. Odegaard has amassed experience across top European leagues that has had an impact on the national team behind the scenes. That includes expectations around the quality of backroom staff within the setup, which has particularly improved in the past five years.

By the time he was promoted to captain by his country at the age of 22 in March 2021, Odegaard had already been around the team for seven years. His promotion came just before current manager Stale Solbakken’s first-ever international camp, and coincided with the midfielder’s initial loan move to Arsenal from Real Madrid. This was a time when Odegaard was rediscovering his own identity outside the shadow cast by Real Madrid.

He was taking on new responsibilities, skills that stood out for his managers then and still do now.

The same month he was given the Norway captaincy, he also scored in a 2-1 north London derby win over Tottenham. Instead of praising the finish post-match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta highlighted something else.“His work rate is incredible,” he said. “He has got real stamina and he is so talented. Not only that, he is intelligent. The timing of his runs, when he presses, his body shape. I am really impressed.”

Martin Odegaard’s work-rate remains unsurpassed (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

This was the origin of Arsenal’s 4-4-2 pressing structure. Fast-forward five years, and this is what Solbakken said after Norway’s 2-1 quarter-final win over Brazil: “In our team, he’s invaluable. It’s the same at Arsenal, but this is about Norway. He’s never been a No 10 for Norway. He’s always been a two-way player, being influential in all phases.

“He’s always working the hardest, covering ground and sprints. No matter if it’s Arsenal or Norway, he’s always the first defender. He’s the trigger. He decides if we’re playing a 4-1-4-1 in defence or a 4-4-2. That depends on the situation and game state. He reads the play and sets the tone.”

That performance against Brazil served as a reminder of what Odegaard is about, and why England need to be wary.

To Solbakken’s point, he has always been involved in all phases of play.

Back in his first full season at Arsenal, Odegaard often dropped deep to start attacks with right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu before combining with Bukayo Saka closer to goal on the right wing.The understanding of when to drop caused problems for Brazil, with manager Carlo Ancelotti saying: “It was more difficult to press high because Norway were using Odegaard in a deeper role, and that would have left Haaland in one-on-one situations where he could exploit his pace.”

This was high praise from a man who, in his 2016 book Calm Leadership, called Odegaard “a PR purchase” when recalling the teenager’s arrival during his time as Real Madrid manager.

Martin Odegaard contemplates what Norway have just achieved against Brazil (Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images)

Vinicius Junior concurred after Brazil’s exit. “It was never our strategy to sit back but Norway surprised us,” he said. “Odegaard is always able to control games, and once again he did that. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the right moment to press.”

Rather than feeding into an end-to-end match that would have suited Brazil, Odegaard helped Norway wrest control away from Ancelotti’s side.

And while stamina is often spoken about in relation to defensive runs, Odegaard shows how much running can be involved in finding those spaces in deeper areas that cause issues for opponents, with an example from Norway’s 2-1 win over Ivory Coast below, where he is constantly on the move across the pitch for 40 seconds:

There are instances when Odegaard could release the ball earlier, like in the build-up to Norway’s early disallowed opener against Brazil, but he did become only the third player since 1966 to assist three goals in their first three World Cup appearances earlier in the tournament. With more assists (seven) than any player in qualifying, the threat he poses across all phases of play should not be lost on anyone.

How England combat this constant movement could be key to the outcome of Saturday’s quarter-final. The battle may be billed as Odegaard against his club-mate Declan Rice, but that may be too simplistic a take, given Rice’s individual circumstances.

England’s No 4 has been nursing lower-back and hamstring issues for months now, so man-marking Odegaard as he drops deep may be a poor use of his energy when Jude Bellingham or Elliot Anderson could push forward. Anticipation is one of Rice’s standout qualities, so allowing him to shield England’s defence and pick his moments — when to engage his club team-mate in tighter situations — may be a better plan of action.

Martin Odegaard has had little rest since the end of Arsenal’s domestic season (Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP via Getty Images)

England’s Arsenal players have had much-needed rest periods since their last game of the season, the Champions League final on May 30. Those who were part of the England squad had three days off before joining the group, while Saka and Rice in particular have been managed through the tournament with more relaxed training and match schedules.

Odegaard has not had the same luxury. Arsenal lost the Champions League final in Hungary, returned to north London for their Premier League trophy parade on May 31, and Odegaard travelled to join the Norway team on June 2.

Yet the management of his recovery from a knee injury in the spring has helped him perform consistently despite this lack of down time. He had tough luck with injuries last season, so took an extended recovery time before returning with a strong performance in Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat away to Manchester City.That break included missing Norway’s final international camp before the World Cup in March.

Now he is realising his country’s ambitions, and is at the forefront of everything they are achieving in the United States.

“That dream has been there all my life,” he said in June after watching his first-ever interview with the Norway national team 12 years ago, when he had outlined the goal of helping the country reach a major tournament.

“It’s an insane feeling. We have been working towards this for so long. I watched this on the TV growing up, thinking, ‘I’m going to go there someday’, and now you’re here.”

Martin Odegaard prepares to bang the drum to lead Norway’s rowing celebrations (Elsa/Getty Images)

Not only are Norway at the World Cup, but they have made a lasting impression. That could become even greater if they upset England, and after Odegaard’s war of words with Gabriel Magalhaes following the Brazil victory, do not be surprised if he shows similar bite against his other close friends from Arsenal.

Rice, Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke beware.