Camavinga makes Real Madrid forget about Odegaard

He has already impressed more than what the Norwegian did

Posted Saturday, October 02, 2021 by Marca.com

The sale of Martin Odegaard to Arsenal allowed Real Madrid to sign Eduardo Camavinga from Rennes at the end of the summer transfer window in a move that has so far worked out perfectly for Los Blancos.

The 22-year-old struggled to make an impact at Real Madrid after returning from a season-long loan at Real Sociedad in the summer of 2020, yet the 18-year-old Frenchman has got off to an excellent start to life in the Spanish capital.

Odegaard's departure on August 20 left many people at Real Madrid wondering if they might end up living to regret that decision, but the arrival of Camavinga, one of the most sought-after talents in Europe, 11 days later on August 31 has made Los Blancos forget all about the Norwegian playmaker.

Carlo Ancelotti was the first to express his delight with the way in which Camavinga has adapted and his performances on the pitch.

"He has surprised me, really. We all knew about his physical ability and technical quality, but then on the pitch he has shown personality and character, something I didn't know he had. He is confident in his ability," Ancelotti said of Camavinga.

What's more, in less than three weeks - from the day he made his debut against Celta Vigo to the match against Sheriff - Camavinga has played almost the same number of games as Odegaard did in the first part of last season, before he asked to go out on loan in the January transfer window.

Camavinga has played six games out of six for Real Madrid since his arrival, compared to Odegaard's nine from a possible 27 between September 2020 and January 2021. In terms of minutes played, Camavinga is on 252 while Odegaard managed 367.

Camavinga getting better and better

Since making his debut on September 12, Camavinga has gone from strength to strength as a Real Madrid player and is becoming an important player for Ancelotti, particularly as an impact player off the bench.

The same could not be said for Odegaard, though, as he was given a main role at the start of last season before a drop in form and injuries meant that Zinedine Zidane only played him for a total of five minutes in his last two months at Real Madrid.

In addition, Camavinga's statistics have already outshone Odegaard's, as the French prodigy has scored one goal and provided one assist in his six games to this point, compared to no goals and no assists in the Norwegian's four months back at the club last season.