Welcome to theScore’s weekly column on European football. Every Monday, Anthony Lopopolo will break down the weekend that was in the continent’s top leagues.
It seems so long ago when Martin Odegaard, at the time a baby-faced 16-year-old with newfound fame and riches, subbed in for Cristiano Ronaldo. With that brief cameo in an otherwise forgettable drubbing of Getafe, Odegaard became the youngest debutant in Real Madrid history.
Everything happened so fast. Odegaard was just 15 starts into his professional career when Madrid came calling, and with a simple signature, he and his father/advisor, Hans Erik, became millionaires. Hans Erik scored a job at Madrid’s academy and reportedly outearned Zinedine Zidane, who was coaching the club’s youth team. Time magazine listed his prodigiously talented son as one of its 30 most influential teens of 2015 alongside Malia Obama, Malala Yousafzai, and Kylie Jenner.
“We have many, many hopes placed in you,” Madrid director Emilio Butragueno said at the introductory press conference.
That was back in January 2015. Odegaard only made one more appearance for Madrid before vanishing from the spotlight. Football’s next big thing came and went without anyone noticing.
Similar situations have killed careers. …read more