Arsenal will face Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The Gunners eased past PSV Eindhoven in the previous round, beating them 9-3 on aggregate. Mikel Arteta’s side made it look easy, especially the first leg.
The clash against Real Madrid, however, will be significantly more difficult, and Arsenal will definitely go into the game as the underdogs.
Arteta will need his stars to step up and deliver if they want to have any chance against the Galacticos over the two legs in April.
One Arsenal player, in particular, has a point to prove.
What Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti once said about Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard in his book
Carlo Ancelotti is one of the greatest managers football has ever seen.
The legendary Italian is in his second spell as Real Madrid’s boss. His first was a decade ago – between 2013 and 2015.
Ancelotti had a very successful time at the Santiago Bernabeu during that spell. He won the Champions League and produced several great games.
At the time, one of Real Madrid’s signings was Martin Odegaard.
The Norwegian, who was just 16 at the time, moved to the Spanish capital in a move that made everyone in the world stand up and take notice.
It was a big moment for Odegaard, but Ancelotti was far from happy. The Italian did not want the midfielder and even called the move a ‘public relations exercise’.
Ancelotti said in his autobiography ‘Quiet Leadership’: “When Florentino (Perez) buys a Norwegian footballer, you simply have to accept it. Furthermore, the president decided that he would play three games with the first team as a public relations exercise.
“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.”
Odegaard should be fired up for Arsenal vs Real Madrid
Odegaard was put in the spotlight when he was just 16 years old – the whole world was watching him back then.
That, clearly, had an impact, and the Norway international just couldn’t nail down a place for himself at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Arsenal signed Odegaard in 2022, initially on loan but that was made permanent just six months later. He has mostly been outstanding for the Gunners and has led them very well.
In April, the Gunners skipper will face his old club for the first time since leaving them, and Ancelotti’s past comments about him should fire him up.
If Odegaard plays with a point to prove and produces his best performance, Arsenal can repeat what they did almost 20 years ago – knock Real Madrid out of the Champions League.
