Arsenal: Champions League final hands Martin Odegaard an opportunity to cement name in history books forever | OneFootball

Martin Odegaard can do what no previous Arsenal captain has ever done and lift the Champions League trophy

The Frenchman congratulated Odegaard not just for the trophy that had been won but for the togetherness he had overseen in the current squad.

A third stool has been pulled up to the table of Arsenal's title-winning captains. Odegaard has joined only Vieira and Tony Adams in achieving that.

"He is a proper club legend for everything he's done," Odegaard said.

"I've seen videos and clips and I've heard stories. He was such a special leader that was here at the club. To get a message from him is special."

Martin Odegaard lifted the Premier League trophy for Arsenal last weekend

Getty

Now, though, Odegaard can go further than Vieira or indeed any previous Arsenal captain has ever gone. This is an opportunity to cement his name in the club's history books forever.

Never before has an Arsenal captain lifted the Champions League trophy. Thierry Henry came closest, leading the side out in 2006, but Barcelona left Paris with the winners' medals.

Two decades on from that defeat, Arsenal are back on the grandest stage in club football and Odegaard - assuming he starts as expected - will lead them out against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest.

If Arsenal can upset the odds and beat the holders, Odegaard will elevate himself into discussions over Arsenal's greatest ever captain.

He said he has the "taste" for silverware after lifting the Premier League trophy. The dreams that formed as a child are now playing out in reality.

"I have been dreaming about winning these trophies since I grew up playing football," Odegaard said.

"When I started playing with my friends in the little pitch next to my house, I was dreaming of this moment - to win trophies, to play this final and, of course, win it.

"That dream has been there my whole life and now the last few weeks a little bit more."

When I started playing with my friends in the little pitch next to my house, I was dreaming of this moment - to win trophies, to play this final and, of course, win it

Martin Odegaard

Rarely has a January loan signing ever paid off quite so handsomely. Odegaard arrived at Arsenal in the middle of the 2020-21 campaign, a season the club might have finished in the bottom half had they not won their final five matches.

In the summer of 2021, Odegaard made it clear he had no plans to stay at Arsenal beyond that loan spell.

An Instagram post thanked the club and paid tribute to the fans and Arteta. It signed off: "Will miss you all. Thank you, Gunners family. Always in my heart.”

By late August, Odegaard was an Arsenal player after a £34m move. That has proved to be sensational value.

Within a year, Odegaard was club captain. It marked a statement moment for Arteta, moving on from the era of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette's leadership and stamping his own mark on the team. This was now his side led by his player.

That was in 2022. Four years later, Odegaard and then Arteta sat down to address the media the night before the Champions League final. The Spaniard spoke in glowing terms about his captain.

"He's a professional that is probably the biggest role model that we have in that dressing room. He has all the attributes in his own way to lead the team in the manner that, in my opinion, is great."

Mikel Arteta made Martin Odegaard Arsenal captain in 2022

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There have been times that Odegaard's role as captain has come under scrutiny. Suggestions have been put forward that Declan Rice should be given the armband.

Odegaard is hugely respected in the dressing room. The players voted last summer on the captaincy and "by 100 miles" the verdict was that Odegaard should retain his position.

He is not a shouting, old-school style captain, in the mould of Adams and Vieira. The more laid-back demeanour can lead to questions over whether he is the right personality.

However, Odegaard has led Arsenal to four successive seasons of competing for the title. He is the creative heartbeat of this time and brings out the best of the attackers, particularly Bukayo Saka.

When Arsenal are flowing on the ball and at their relentless best off it, Odegaard is often central to both.

It has been a frustrating season at times for him, one hampered by knee injuries. Yet when it has mattered, when the chips have been down and the situation critical, Odegaard has still stepped up.

It was his corner that was swung in perfectly for Gabriel to score a 96th-minute winner at St James' Park. That was a huge result even so early in the season.

More pivotal was the cameo at the London Stadium. The title race was slipping out of Arsenal's control when Odegaard grabbed the match by the scruff of the neck.

Martin Odegaard played a key role in Arsenal’s Premier League title win

PA

He came off the bench and was unplayable for a three-minute spell. That was all it took. Twice he opened up West Ham and was not rewarded. He then danced through the challenges and assisted Leandro Trossard's winner.

Now to Budapest. An opportunity to banish all the injury frustrations. To silence all those who have questioned his captaincy credentials. To fulfil a destiny others have written for him ever since he made his international debut at 15 and joined Real Madrid a year later.

For five years he has opened up defences for the Gunners. Now is the chance to unlock a slice of Arsenal history all for himself.