“We have to be honest and say that Arsenal deserved to reach the semi-finals over two legs.” This realization came from the world’s best coach, Carlo Ancelotti. At the same time, this was an indirect acknowledgement that he made such a thorough misjudgement of a Norwegian light owl.
Captain Ødegaard led Arsenal to a 3-0 win at the Emirates, captain Ødegaard led the Gunners to a 1-2 win in Madrid. This is the player Carlo Ancelotti swept off as a PR signing in 2016, in 2021 he thought he had eight players in midfield who were better than Ødegaard. Two games in a row, the same Ødegaard has sent Ancelotti and the reigning champions into the dressing room with a loss – and out of the Champions League.
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We rewind to be reminded of what Ancelotti thought of Ødegaard, then also as Real Madrid coach. In Ancelotti’s book “Quite Leadership”, the Italian writes: “When Florentino buys a Norwegian footballer, you simply have to accept it. Furthermore, the president decided that Ødegaard should play three games with the first team as a PR exercise. He could be the best player in the world, but I didn’t care because he wasn’t a player I asked for. That signing was about PR,” Anclotti wrote.
So when Ancelotti returned as Real coach in 2021, it was no surprise that Real Madrid sold Ødegaard to Arsenal for £30 million. Ancelotti stated he had eight players in midfield ahead of Ødegaard in the playing time queue.
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Arsenal supporters have thanked and bowed for Real Madrid releasing Ødegaard for the past two years, calling the signing “the big steal”. This was again confirmed in the last two Champion League matches. This one was also for you, Ancelotti!
