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Arsenal have clinched the Premier League title – and captain Martin Odegaard shared with FourFourTwo that he never once lost faith in his journey to reach the top.

Reflecting on his path from Norway to North London following Arsenal’s latest triumph, Odegaard looked back on the milestones that brought him to this point.

The midfielder has become the first Arsenal captain since Patrick Vieira in 2004 to lift the league trophy in North London, and notably, the first to do so during the Emirates Stadium era, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this summer.

In an exclusive conversation with FourFourTwo, the Norwegian international opened up about his rise from playing on gravel pitches in Drammen to leading a Premier League powerhouse, and the vital role his father, Hans Erik Odegaard – himself a former professional footballer – played in shaping his career.

While many footballers experience ‘pinch me’ moments, Odegaard told FourFourTwo that his younger self would probably not be surprised to see where he is today.

“I don’t think he’d be shocked,” 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.’”

“Of course, there would be a few things that might surprise him, but I think he would be happy – happy to see what I’ve achieved, playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world, competing in what’s arguably the toughest and best league in the world, and heading into the next World Cup. Yes, he’d be proud.”

Odegaard’s footballing roots run deep. His father, Hans Erik Odegaard, was a well-known player for Stromsgodset in Drammen, the very club where Martin made his senior debut at just 15 years and 118 days – still the youngest player ever to appear in Norway’s top division.

Hans Erik even went as far as funding a football pitch for his son’s youth team, all while personally coaching the boy who would one day earn a move to Real Madrid as a teenager.

“The first match I remember watching in a stadium was one of my dad’s,” Odegaard recalled.

“I was maybe five or six years old. He coached me, and we would stay back after training sessions to work together. I spent a lot of time doing individual drills with him. He taught me the value of hard work – to train with full commitment every single time.”

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

Years later, that dedication has clearly paid off – as Martin Odegaard proudly becomes the Premier League’s first-ever title-winning captain from Norway.