Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has dismissed the on going wildfire speculations that – he’s not a captain but a nominal figure in the dressing room – following the release of Amazon’s All or Nothing Arsenal documentary.
https://youtu.be/kFdSj04MGNg
Martin Odegaard was announced as the club’s captain earlier this season, with both Grant Xhaka and Gabriel Jesus named the club’s vice-captains.
Odegaard is Arsenal’s first full-time captain since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of the role. (Photo: Getty Images)
Following the release of All or nothing documentary, which saw cameras follow the Gunners throughout their 2021-22 campaign, the decision to name Martin Odegaard Arsenal captain hasn’t gone well with the Arsenal faithfuls.
xhaka is the real captain of that club, odegaard is just wearing the armband for the media. not once did i see him speak in that all or nothing series
— 69 (@ogheneyomar) August 22, 2022
I wonder if Xhaka is actually our captain but to avoid backlash the armband sits with Odegaard
— Link Up Arsenal (@LinkUpArsenal) August 18, 2022
I'd rather Xhaka captain at least he is vocal.
What does Odegaard do apart from play with his hair?
— KindGooner (@GoonerTiliDie19) August 13, 2022
Lol Xhaka is captain. Odegaard is just a figurehead
— Salty Gooner (@SaltyGooner) August 18, 2022
Lets face it, Odegaard is the poster captain but Xhaka is the actual captain. He was the one doing the team talk on the pitch, hes the one who gives orders and hes the vocal one in the dressing room https://t.co/JhcNsVvNcQ
— Josh (@JoBro1886) August 15, 2022
Just finished the Arsenal all or nothing and you can tell they lack leaders, after every defeat the dressing room is silent apart from maybe Xhaka saying something. Also Odegard didn’t speak once and he’s now their Captain
— Zack (@ZackTottenham) August 18, 2022
Watching #AllOrNothingArsenal I don't understand why odegaard is the new captain. Nice guy but I can't see the leadership. Xhaka stands out more than anyone
— Stevyb (@stevyb777) August 19, 2022
Speaking to the press after Arsenal 3-0 victory over Bournemouth, the midfielder – who also captains Norway – explained the documentary was not exhaustive.
“I think I am not maybe the loudest guy. But still, I think it is very little of last season that you see in the [Amazon] documentary.
“And also, I don’t feel any need to talk when the camera is there. Maybe I am a little bit more shy when the camera is there.”
He went further to reveal how he spoke to former skipper Xhaka about his new leadership role.
“We have talked a little bit,” said Odegaard. “He is a good friend of mine, and we are quite close.”
“He is someone I talk to a lot and try to learn from. I think he is a great player and also a great leader. Of course, I talk to him and try to get the best out of me, and everyone else as well.
I have to try to use [being captain] in a good way, of course. Obviously, there is a bit more responsibility being the captain and all that.”
“But I try to do the same things, I always try to do the best for the team, I fight for the team, and I give 100 per cent always. I have to try to use it in a good way.”
Already captain of his country, the 23-year-old is widely admired for his application and tactical intelligence.
Former Arsenal Captain Granit Xhaka on Martin Odegaard.
“He is the future of this club,” Xhaka told Norwegian outlet TV2.
“He’s already captain when Alexandre Lacazette does not play. He can be very proud of himself.”
“You can see how far he has come in his head, mentally. He is very young, only 23, but in how he behaves and is on the field, he looks like he’s 30. It looks like he has already played 500 or 600 games.
“He can definitely become Arsenal captain. He has the DNA in him. He works as hard every day as if he were in a fight. He does a lot of extra work. He is humble. Everyone in the dressing room listens to him. Why not?”
Odegaard does not appear to be a shouter, but Xhaka doesn’t see that as a barrier. “You do not have to scream to be a captain,” he said.
“You need to understand what to say, when to say it, and to whom to say it. He is very humble, he is quiet as a person, he is not someone who talks a lot, and he does not talk very loudly. But when he says something, the message comes very clearly to us players. That’s the key. It makes him very special.”
Mikel Arteta explains why Martin Odegaard is Arsenal Captain.
“Everything that he’s done in the last 18 months since he joined us,” said Arteta when explaining why Odegaard was handed the armband.
“The way other people look at him, the way they respect him, the way they admire him, the values that he has as a human being and how he represents those values through the club.
Ramsdale claims the Norwegian and the manager have conversations in Spanish about the game. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
“He’s an exceptional football player that wants to play the way we want to play and he’s so hungry to make this club successful. That’s the reason.”
The 23-year old Norway midfielder does not bark orders, point fingers, stamp his feet or throw his weight around. But, his influence on the team cannot and must not be underrated.
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