Martin Odegaard's Knee Trouble Eases Ahead of World Cup

Martin Odegaard left the pitch in the United States with a goal, a grin and, finally, a sense of relief.

The Arsenal captain struck the equaliser for Norway in a 1-1 draw with Morocco in their final World Cup warm-up, but the real story sat beneath the scoreboard: his knee, the nagging problem that shadowed the final three months of his club season, is at last beginning to loosen its grip.

Knee trouble easing at last

Odegaard’s issue dates back to February, when he picked up the injury in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Brentford. He played through the pain as the Gunners chased major honours, including starting the Champions League final defeat to PSG in Budapest, but the cost was clear. Every sprint, every twist, carried a question mark.

Against Morocco, he finally sounded like a player stepping out from under that cloud.

“It felt good. I've been struggling with my knee for a while,” he told TV2 after the game. “I feel like it's starting to ease now and I feel like it's been good for a while. My physical shape is good. It was hot out here, but I felt like I was getting better outside.”

For Norway, that is exactly what they needed to hear. For Arsenal, it is just as significant.

A captain turning towards the World Cup

The Champions League final is now parked. Odegaard’s attention is locked on Norway and a World Cup stage they have not graced since 1998. This summer, they walk into Group I alongside Iraq, Senegal and France, carrying the familiar “dark-horses” tag that has also been pinned on Morocco.

Odegaard arrives in that group with momentum. His strike against Morocco was his fifth international goal, a neat reminder of the attacking edge his manager Stale Solbakken keeps demanding from him.

The celebration told its own story. Odegaard turned to the bench and raised four fingers in Solbakken’s direction. The coach scored nine times for Norway in his playing days; his captain is now more than halfway there.

“Now there are only four left. We are getting closer!” Odegaard said, with a smile that suggested this personal chase is very much alive.

Wrestling with the conditions

The night in the United States was not all smooth. The pitch drew plenty of comment across the camp, and Odegaard admitted the surface took some figuring out.

“The one I gave away was ugly, luckily I got it fixed again,” he said of a loose moment in possession. “It was a bit loose, and I was a bit unfamiliar with the bounce on the field and such. Maybe I can blame it a bit, but I think we worked our way into the game and got better as we went along. We could have won in the end.”

That last line matters. Norway did not just hang on; they grew. Against a Morocco side that reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, Solbakken’s team showed they can live with high-level opposition on neutral ground.

Dark horses with a fit talisman

Both Norway and Morocco will travel to the World Cup with that dangerous, awkward label: the teams nobody quite wants to face. For Norway, the difference between being a nuisance and being a genuine threat may rest on the form and fitness of the man wearing the armband.

A few weeks ago, Odegaard was grinding through matches with a knee that refused to cooperate. Now he is scoring, moving freely and talking about feeling “good” again.

Next up is Iraq in the Group I opener. Odegaard will walk into that game chasing Solbakken’s goal tally, carrying his country’s hopes and, crucially, no longer dragging that knee behind him.