Ancelotti: Real Madrid signing Odegaard was PR stunt

The decision to sign the talented Norwegian teenager was born out a desire to prove the Spanish giants’ lure, according to the Italian manager in his recent book


Former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti claims the club’s signing of Martin Odegaard was just a show to boost their public relations.

The Spanish giants secured a deal to sign the midfielder from Stromsgodset in January 2015 when he was 16, beating a cluster of elite European clubs to his signature.

The teenage playmaker has gone on to make just a solitary senior appearance at the Madrid club, spending the majority of his time in the capital with the team’s reserves.


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In an extract from his book ‘Quiet Leadership’, Ancelotti wrote: “When Florentino Perez 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.”

The attacking midfielder has won nine international caps for Norway but is yet to find the net for his country.

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