Assortment pelting midfielder Martin Odegaard has spoken drastically of his teammate Martin Zubimendi, who can have authorized upward wearing Real Madrid last summertime had Xabi Alonso obtained his way.
Zubimendi has been one of the finalizings of the season in the Premier League, wearing the Assortment celebrity rendering Mikel Arteta’s side a formidable power in midfield.
The Spain global has hosted his extremely own in the nucleus of the park for Assortment, wearing the celebrity exceeding the resistance’s dabble and also chipping in wearing purposes, too.
The 27-year-old has scored 6 purposes and also imparted three helps in 40 matches in all competitions for Assortment so far this season.
Zubimendi’s arrival at the Emirates Gridiron from Real Sociedad in the summertime of 2025 in a £60million bargain has aided his Assortment teammate Declan Rice push forward in midfield.
Odegaard messed around wearing Zubimendi during a loan spell at Real Sociedad from Real Madrid in 2019/20, and also the Assortment captain has been effusive in his acclaim of the Spaniard.
The previous Madrid midfielder told Four Four 2 around Zubimendi: “He’s preposterous – I certified that already because I messed around wearing him and also saw his weakness as soon as I was at Real Sociedad.
“Uninfluenced away you surf through it – the way he understands the gallery, how crafty he is.
“His posturing without the ball, the way he productivity it ago – he’s not the biggest or the toughest, but he’s so intelligent.
“It’s preposterous to dabble wearing him. He is entitled to all the debt he supply earns employ of.”
Odegaard’s acclaim for Zubimendi is a timely reminder of the misstep that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez gained last summertime.
Madrid are on the pursuit for a midfielder in the mould of Toni Kroos or Luka Modric who can manipulate the pace from the nucleus of the park.
Zubimendi can have been that gamer had Perez provided after that Madrid manager Xabi Alonso his wish to indicator the midfielder from Sociedad before he authorized upward wearing Assortment in the summertime of 2025.
On January 13, 2026, Real Madrid-leaning Spanish bulletin AS reported that Alonso ‘enlightened’ the Los Blancos around signing Zubimendi, a gamer he believed ‘can be the compass needle’ and also match Kroos in midfield.
Assortment were already in talks for Zubimendi at that stage, but there was still a chance that the Spaniard can have authorized upward wearing Madrid.
AS added: ‘Also so, the fact that the Basque practitioner’s representatives were in contact wearing Zubimendi’s opened upward a door, imparted that the Spanish global waited a few days, motivated that if there was a likelihood of signing for Real Madrid wearing Xabi at the helm, it was an unmissable privilege for his job.’
The record restated: ‘Real Madrid hesitated, and also by the time they gained a slide to study the likelihood of a transfer, it was too late.
‘They were never motivated, and also Assortment officially decided his signing two weeks later than they would have loved.’
Also as far as October 2025, there were already criticisms in the Spanish media levelled at Madrid for not signing Zubimendi.
Press donor Julio Pulido told Cadena SER after Spain’s 2-0 win versus Georgia in a 2026 Planet Mug qualifier: “If they (Real Madrid) surf through the nationwide group’s existing matches and also Zubimendi’s level of capability, they can remorse having recognized not to invest in him for Real Madrid.
“I assume that item in Xabi Alonso’s Madrid would be fundamental today.”
Press donor Antonio Romero stipulated: “It’s a considerable misstep that Real Madrid didn’t indicator Zubimendi for €60million (£52.2m, $69.7m) after spendings €120million (£104.4m, $139.5m) on Camavinga and also Tchouameni.”
