Arsenal star has added incentive to beat Real Madrid tonight after Carlo Ancelotti jibe

has an extra incentive to help beat in the Champions League tonight after admitted that he did not want the Norwegian to sign for Los Blancos. Ancelotti was one of the only men in world football who did not want to sign Odegaard as a teenager in 2015.

Ten years ago, every top European club was desperate to sign Odegaard. Then approaching his 16th birthday, he spent time on trial with the likes of Real Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester City. Social media users could barely navigate their feeds without seeing compilation videos of Odegaard's performances for Norwegian club Stromsgodset, and scouts were attending all of his matches.

Odegaard eventually chose Real. However, head coach Ancelotti, who was in his first spell at the club, did not want the deal to take place. He later accused president Florentino Perez of undertaking a PR exercise by signing the now-Arsenal captain. The Italian had not asked for Odegaard to be signed and did not care if he had turned out to be one of the best players in the world.

Writing in his 2016 autobiography, Ancelotti said of the Odegaard deal: "When Florentino buys a Norwegian footballer, you simply have to accept it.

"Furthermore, the president decided that he would play three games with the first team as a public relations exercise. He could be the best player in the world, but I don't care because he was not a player who I asked for. That signing was to do with PR."

Odegaard, who made 11 appearances for Real and spent most of his time at the club out on loan, will therefore be keen to prove Ancelotti wrong. The 26-year-old will believe that the La Liga giants were correct to sign him and invest in his potential.

Since joining Arsenal, initially on loan, in 2021, Odegaard has become one of the best midfielders in the world. He has spearheaded two Premier League title bids and his in the Gunners' inability to properly challenge Liverpool.

Speaking to Arsenal's media channels last year, Odegaard admitted that he was frustrated by the media hype that followed him as a teenager. He said: "It was annoying. Everyone just saw me as the young kid and you just want to be looked at as a normal player. I think it's normal as well when you play at such a young age, it comes with a bit more attention.

"But as soon as you get older, and get more minutes, I think people start to forget your age and see your quality. They don't care too much about your age and that's the main thing."