Martin Odegaard's Knee Problem Easing Ahead of World Cup
Martin Odegaard left the pitch in the American heat with sweat on his brow, a goal to his name and, perhaps most importantly, a weight off his mind.
The Arsenal captain struck the equaliser in Norway’s 1-1 draw with Morocco in their final World Cup warm-up in the United States, then calmly declared that the knee problem which has stalked him for months is finally loosening its grip.
Knee ordeal easing at last
For the last three months of Arsenal’s season, Odegaard played through pain. The issue first flared in February during the Gunners’ 1-1 draw at Brentford, then lingered stubbornly as Mikel Arteta’s side pushed on all fronts.
He still started the Champions League final in Budapest, where Arsenal fell to PSG, but the discomfort never really left him. On Sunday, his words to TV2 carried a different tone – relief.
“It felt good. I’ve been struggling with my knee for a while,” he said after scoring against the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists. “I feel like it’s starting to ease now and I feel like it’s been good for a while. My physical shape is good. It was hot out here, but I felt like I was getting better outside.”
In other words, the captain is finally moving like a captain again.
Chasing his manager’s record
The goal itself mattered for more than just the scoreline. It was Odegaard’s fifth for Norway, a neat milestone for a playmaker often judged more on his craft than his finishing.
His celebration told its own story. Turning towards the bench, he raised four fingers in the direction of Stale Solbakken – his manager, and a former Norway midfielder who finished his own international career with nine goals.
Odegaard is now over halfway there and made sure the message was clear. “Now there are only four left. We are getting closer!” he smiled, a playful nod to Solbakken’s regular calls for his captain to add more goals to his game.
The dynamic between the two is obvious: the coach pushing, the star player responding.
World Cup focus and a tricky Group I
Any lingering disappointment from Budapest has been parked. Odegaard’s attention is fixed on Norway’s first World Cup appearance since 1998, a long-awaited return to the biggest stage.
They land in Group I, where Iraq, Senegal and France stand between them and the knockouts. Norway open against Iraq next week, with their captain arriving in scoring form and, crucially, with his fitness trending upwards rather than hanging by a thread.
Norway, like Morocco, are being quietly talked up as dark horses this summer. Performances like Sunday’s – solid, resilient, improving as the game wore on – will only feed that narrative.
Battling the bounce and the heat
Conditions in the United States have been a talking point across several camps, and Odegaard did not shy away from that theme. The pitches, the bounce, the heat – they all demand adjustment.
“The one I gave away was ugly, luckily I got it fixed again,” he admitted of a loose moment in possession. “It was a bit loose, and I was a bit unfamiliar with the bounce on the field and such. Maybe I can blame it a bit, but I think we worked our way into the game and got better as we went along. We could have won in the end.”
That last line matters. Norway did not come just to survive these games. They believe they can tilt tight contests their way.
For Odegaard, this was more than a pre-tournament friendly. It was proof that the knee that betrayed him for months can now carry him into a World Cup where expectations are rising, both for his country and for a captain suddenly chasing down his manager’s goal tally.
