Martin Ødegaard Names Two Arsenal Players Among The Best He’s Played With

Arsenal midfielder Martin Ødegaard named Bukayo Saka and David Raya amongst the five best players he's played with in his career, alongside Luka Modric, Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

The Arsenal captain made the selections during a quick fire interview with BBC Sport, reflecting on the abundance of quality he has been fortunate to share the pitch with in his star-studed career so far. 

Having joined Real Madrid back in 2015 as one of the most exciting teenagers in world football, Ødegaard flattered to deceive. It led to a number of important loan moves in Netherlands and Spain, until ultimately finding himself in north London. Having made a six-month loan move permanent to Arsenal in August 2021, he became club captain just a year later and became a key role in the title-winning side that the Gunners are today,

However, by joining arguably the biggest club side in the world as a mere 16 year-old, the Norwegian midfielder has been lucky to play with some of the biggest names football has ever seen, including Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Croatian midfielder Luka Modrić. 

Both of these players featured amongst his top five selections, with Ødegaard also recognising the quality of his current Arsenal teammates Bukayo Saka and David Raya. 

Coming through the Hale End academy, Saka has become the face of Arteta's Arsenal, as he helped bring the club back from consecutive eighth-place finishes, to ultimately becoming Premier League champions. Since both becoming main stays in the Arsenal starting eleven, Saka and Ødegaard have built a strong connection on the right flank, becoming integral parts of Arsenal's attacking identity in recent seasons. 

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya has also become a key figure between the sticks for Arsenal since he joined from Bentford in 2023, something that Ødegaard was keen to praise. Last season, Raya banked 19 clean sheets, securing the league's Golden Glove award for a third successive season. Throughout last season, in which Arsenal secured their first Premier League title in 22 years, Raya made a number of fundamentally season saving saves, none more so than the iconic save at West Ham, a crucial game that Arsenal went on to win 1-0. 

Raya himself admitted that he believes that save won Arsenal the Premier League, and without winning away at the London Stadium, Arsenal would have struggled to lift that first title. Speaking on the Beyond The Box podcast, the Spaniard said, 'I think that save gave us the Premier League. It's just one of those where in the moment you don't think it is important, but when you see it in perspective.'

Continuing, he added, 'If we drop points there, I think we are done. I think the season is too close to finishing to make back those points. It is a decisive moment where we had to win that game, which we did.' 

The Arsenal and Norway captain was also keen to settle another debate, when asked who the greatest Premier League player of all time is, and Ødegaard wasted no time in delivering his verdict. 

"Theirry Henry," Ødegaard answered emphatically. 

The Frenchman remains the greatest player in Arsenal's history, scoring 175 goals for Arsenal in the Premier League. He was instrumental in leading Arsenal to their unbeaten season in 2003/2004, becoming the first and only team in the modern era to achieve this feat. 

Martin Ødegaard will be hoping to continue the fine form he's started this season in, and become the first Arsenal captain in history to lead Arsenal to back-to-back Premier League titles.