Martin Odegaard, a 16-year-old Norwegian soccer star, is one of the most remarkable soccer players of our time. For someone who is only 16, he plays like a professional. He plays attacking midfielder for Real Madrid Castilla and the Norway national team.

As a kid, Odegaard spent a lot of time at a local sports club training with his father, a former footballer, who also happens to be his son’s coach. When Odegaard was young, he spent a lot of his time on the field. At six, he played on a gravel field that and his parents paid to turn into turf so he and the rest of his team could practice. At the age of nine, he was recruited from the Drammen Strong sports club to go to the Strømsgodset Toppfotball team. This elite Norwegian sports club is where Odegaard now plays. He was so good that he played with the older kids, and his coaches agreed that when he turned 15 he would immediately go to Strømsgodset’s first team. However, since Odegaard didn’t have a contract, he couldn’t play in the professional league. But, he started practicing with them.

 After getting a contract and playing for the Strømsgodset team for a year, Odegaard was professionally signed at the end of 2014. He became the goal scorer for Strømsgodset’s professional team and the Norwegian national team. His contract lasted until the end of 2015. In December 2014, as his contracts were ending, Odegaard started training with Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Manchester City, He also visited Arsenal and trained with Real Madrid.

As of March 29, Odegaard became the youngest player to start a European Championship qualifier at the age of 16 years and 101 days in a 5–1 loss to Croatia.