‘My Whole Career’—Martin Odegaard Bites Back at Criticism From Arsenal Legend

Arsenal skipper Martin Ødegaard bluntly dismissed Tony Adams’s criticism of his role as club captain, maintaining his career-long stance of ignoring the outside noise.

It hasn’t always been that way. When the child prodigy was toppling countless age records in Norway, he would pour over every available newspaper looking for any articles written about him. That approach has shifted since the press stopped being universally positive.

Ødegaard’s failed stint at Real Madrid didn’t inspire many admirers but he had enjoyed a successful spell at Arsenal after permanently moving to north London four years ago. Last term, however, saw the 26-year-old endure a notable dip in form as injuries and the birth of his first child conspired for a complicated campaign.

Adams, Arsenal’s legendary former captain, took it upon himself to criticise Mikel Arteta for sticking with Ødegaard as skipper given his recent form. The Arsenal boss responded swiftly and decisively, revealing that the squad had unanimously voted Ødegaard as their leader for the 2025–26 season.

Martin Odegaard — The Arsenal captain was praised for his vision during games by Alexis Mac Allister. | Getty Images/Glyn Kirk/AFP

“It is true that we voted on it,” the Norway international told VG. “It was ultimately his [Arteta’s] choice anyway. It is a nice confirmation to get it.”

When pressed on Adams’s comments, Ødegaard sniffed: “I don’t care that much. Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion and say what they want. I live with that. You can’t care what everyone says, there will be a lot of positive and negative things that can affect me. It’s important to just block it out, I’ve done it my whole career.”

Gabriel Magalhães wore Arsenal’s armband in their most recent outing against Liverpool as Ødegaard was only fit enough to make the bench. The attacking midfielder sustained a severe blow to his shoulder one week earlier and was a doubt to feature at all. Ødegaard managed to get on for the final 20 minutes and joined up with Norway for September’s World Cup qualifiers.

“It hurt a lot, but now I got it under control and I feel ready,” Ødegaard revealed while on international duty this week. “It was never an issue [between Norway and Arsenal]. I talk a lot with Ståle Solbakken. The club obviously wanted me for Liverpool, and my only job was to get ready.”