Martin Ødegaard spent most of the 2025/26 season watching from the sideline or hobbling through cameos that never quite looked right. The Arsenal captain managed just one goal and six assists in Premier League play, a stat line that felt more like a placeholder than a statement from a player who once ran games for fun.
But something has clicked again this summer. And it’s happening on the biggest stage.
Norway’s World Cup run has been fueled in large part by Ødegaard suddenly looking like the old version of himself. The version that makes the pass you didn’t see coming and then shows up in the right spot two moves later. Against England in the quarterfinal in Miami, he threaded a perfect ball to Andreas Schjelderup, who smashed the opener into the corner. Another assist on the board.
That’s four assists in five matches this tournament. Only France’s Michael Olise has more. That’s pretty good company for a guy who spent most of the club season being asked when he’d get back to being himself.
The irony is that Ødegaard’s domestic season was basically a write-off. He picked up an injury early, never fully got his rhythm back, and Arsenal’s attack often looked disjointed without his usual control in the middle third. Fans started wondering if the captaincy and the pressure were wearing on him. There was chatter about whether he’d ever regain that top gear.
Well, the World Cup has given us a pretty clear answer so far.
Norway isn’t the most talented team in the knockout bracket, and they’re not the betting favorite to lift the trophy. But they’ve got two things working for them. One is Erling Haaland, obviously. The other is a creator who has rediscovered his timing and his nerve at exactly the right moment.
What’s interesting is how Ødegaard is doing it. He’s not forcing passes or trying to be a hero. He’s playing simple, smart football — the kind that makes everyone around him better. The assist against England wasn’t a highlight-reel cross. It was a perfectly weighted ball into space that let Schjelderup do the rest. That’s the difference between a player trying to prove something and a player who just trusts what he sees.
None of this guarantees Norway gets past the semifinal. But it does mean they’ve got a legitimate playmaker running the show, not the banged-up version who limped through the Premier League season. And for a team looking to make history, that might be the most important thing they brought to this tournament.
📸 Justin Setterfield — 2026 Getty Images
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