Martin Odegaard didn’t have to wait long to get his hands on silverware after being named captain by Mikel Arteta.
The official announcement that the Norwegian would take the armband on a permanent basis came on Saturday morning, and just a few hours later he was lifting the Emirates Cup after a thumping 6-0 win over Sevilla.
After the game at a sold out Emirates Stadium, our No. 8 spoke about his pride at becoming captain. Here’s what he said:
on the performance…
Yeah, it was a great one. I think from the start we were really switched on. We want to get a good feeling before the league starts so I think we did well and it was nice to play in front of the fans again here at the Emirates, so it was a nice day.
on the team’s confidence…
I think the confidence is obviously high. We’ve had some good games, we’ve beaten two good teams now lately, and we’re playing well, so of course we have a good feeling but we have to stay calm, we have to stay humble, and keep working hard. We know it’s not going to be easy so we have to keep working hard and always be on our toes. That’s what it’s all about, to push everyday.
on lifting a trophy as captain…
Yeah, not a bad start! So that’s good. Of course it’s a big moment for me and I’m very proud to be captain of this fantastic football club. Yeah, a big day for me.
on his reaction to being made captain…
Of course I was happy, proud and grateful for the trust and for him wanting me to be the captain. That’s a big achievement for me and it’s nice to be part of such a good team, so I’m going to enjoy that.
on other leaders in the squad…
Yeah of course it’s important that we all take leadership, it’s not just about me or a few people but I think everyone needs to take the leadership and do what’s best for the team, so everyone has to do that.
On Friday’s game at Palace…
Finally! We’ve been waiting for that one for a while. We are looking forward to starting again, its always nice to get back to playing important games again, so its ging to be nice and hopefully we can get a good start.
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