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Arsenal have been crowned champions, and their captain Martin Odegaard shared with FourFourTwo that he never lost faith in his dream of reaching this point.

Reflecting on his incredible path from Norway to North London following the Gunners’ title triumph, Odegaard spoke about the dedication and belief that carried him to success.

The Norwegian midfielder has become the first Arsenal captain since Patrick Vieira in 2004 to lift the league trophy for the club, and notably, the first to do so in the Emirates Stadium era — two decades after the venue first opened.

In an exclusive conversation with FourFourTwo, the Norway international recounted his rise from playing on gravel pitches in his hometown to starring in the Premier League, while also acknowledging the role of his father, Hans Erik Odegaard, himself a former professional footballer.

While many players have ‘pinch me’ moments during their careers, Arsenal’s skipper told FourFourTwo that his younger self would not have been shocked to hear he’d one day play in England’s top division.

“I don’t know if he’d be surprised,” Odegaard said. “If you went back to that kid, you’d see that he always believed in himself.”

“He believed he was going to make it, that he was going to be a footballer. So he’d probably say, ‘I was right.’”

“There would be a few things he’d be surprised about, of course, but I think he would be happy; happy to see where I am now – to be playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world, in what’s probably the toughest and biggest league in the world, and in the next World Cup! Yes, he’d be happy.”

Odegaard’s football journey began under the watchful eye of his father, Hans Erik Odegaard, who was a well-known player at Stromsgodset in Drammen, Norway. It was for that very club that a young Martin made his senior debut at just 15 years and 118 days old, becoming the youngest player to feature in Norway’s top division.

Hans Erik even invested in a football pitch for his son’s youth team and helped to coach the boy who would eventually be signed by Real Madrid as a teenager.

“The first game I remember watching in a stadium was one of my dad’s,” said Odegaard. “I must have been about five or six. He used to train me, and we’d often stay behind after sessions to work together. I spent a lot of time with him doing individual drills. He taught me the importance of hard work – to always train with intensity.”

“From a young age, I just wanted to be the best.”

Years later, that commitment has paid off handsomely – as Odegaard now stands as the Premier League’s first-ever title-winning captain from Norway.