Tomorrow, at the worst time for Barca of Valverde, the leader will visit Real Sociedad, the revelation team of La Liga. That things go so well in Anoeta has, as one of the causes, the level offered by Martin Odegaard, the midfielder loaned by Madrid.
After three years of disposals and irregular performance in the Netherlands, first in the Heerenveen and then in the Vitesse, Odegaard has matured and, purely aesthetic, has added strength and efficiency. His way of reentering Madrid in 2014 was different from that of Vinicius, Rodrygo or Take. In his case, the young Norwegian, cast among the nine great teams in Europe where he wanted to play.
He visited facilities, made some meetings here and there, went through Barcelona where he said he was delighted but, equal to economic conditions imposed by his agent, decided that what made him most excited was Madrid.
And there he went, training with the first team, as promised... until he was brought down to the branch. Of course, with a league match and a cup match, he remains the youngest debutante in Bernabeu's history. Now, after five years of arriving in Spain, he will finally play against Barça. A challenge for the player. An advantage for the Royal. A risk for Barça.