Arsenal star Martin Odegaard came in for plenty of praise from his international teammates as he landed a hat-trick of assists for Norway against Israel.
The national team headed into the break, kicking off their World Cup qualification campaign and looking to correct their previous mistakes in missing out on a place in the past few tournaments.
Odegaard was praised after a 5-0 win over Moldova in the opening match, giving Norway a good start to the year ahead.
The next test for the Arsenal star and his nation came against Israel, with both teams recording a win in their openers.
In a decent outing, goals from David Moller Wolfe, Alexander Sorloth, Kristoffer Ajer and Erling Haaland sealed a 4-2 win.
While the goals were spread around, a hat-trick of assists saw Odegaard praised yet again, coming into the spotlight.
With an ideal start to World Cup qualification, the Arsenal captain is now receiving all the plaudits from his teammates.
Martin Odegaard’s Norway teammates praise star’s performance vs Israel
Martin Odegaard was back to his very best for Norway when he created three goals in their win over Israel.
The playmaker pulled the strings throughout the match and remains the key to their World Cup qualification hopes.
The Arsenal star was the subject of praise from his international teammates after the game, who were all raving about him.
Speaking to VG, Alexander Sorloth said on Odegaard: “He is fantastic. Three assists speak for themselves, and he is fantastic to play with on the right side.”
Andreas Schjelderup took it to the next level when he said: “He is one of the best footballers in the world. The way he moves and plays football, you just have to enjoy it.”
It’s high praise for the star, who will be looking to make that a consistent talking point about him in the near future.
What Martin Odegaard must do to be in the “best in the world” conversation
It’s fair to say that Martin Odegaard has shown sparks of being one of the best in the world during his time at Arsenal.
So far, though, he hasn’t been able to make it a consistent talking point with his performances, missing that extra edge to his displays.
The 26-year-old is nearing the prime of his career, which may see him take the next step and become an even better player.
The key to him being in the discussion for the best in the world will be all about output, though, and the actual numbers that follow.
This season, Odegaard has struggled to create the output he would’ve wanted with both goals and assists.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | 2 | 4 |
With six goal involvements in 21 Premier League matches, there would be some hope that he could have a little more.
If he can crank those numbers up and be the deciding factor in more games, then perhaps the dial shifts for Odegaard in his global standings.
