Odegaard shines on Madrid debut

Martin Odegaard made an immediate impact for Real Madrid with a hand in two goals on his debut for the Castilla team.

Norwegian wonderkid Martin Odegaard donned the white of Real Madrid for the first time in a behind-closed-doors game against Beijing Guoan on Wednesday.

Odegaard took months mulling over a move to one of Europe’s giants and, having finally settled on Real, started well for his new club in a 3-3 draw for the Castilla side.

The former Stromsgodset player featured for just over an hour of the game.

Having shown no sign of nerves on his first outing, the 16-year-old could make his competitive debut when Real’s Castilla side – coached by Zinedine Zidane – meet Athletic Bilbao’s B side on Sunday.

Meanwhile, reports suggest Odegaard has been included in Real’s first-team squad for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.

Were he to feature in the last-16 tie against Schalke, Odegaard would become the youngest player to participate in the tournament, eclipsing Celestine Babayaro’s record of 16 years and 87 days set in 1994.