Kids these days.
It’s one thing not respecting your elders but, when your elders are Zinedine Zidane, then you’d better make sure you genuflect before him.
Not so for Martin Odegaard, it seems, who is reportedly showing signs of too-big-for-his-bootsiness at Real Madrid amid claims he’s refusing to train at the Spanish club.
Despite the clamour for his signature and what was believed to be an outrageous salary offered to the Norwegian, the 16-year-old has been benched by the Madrid reserves and is apparently exhibiting signs of a bad attitude.
‘Odegaard has refused to train with the reserves and only joins in with training sessions on the eve of the team’s games,’ Spanish paper AS report.
‘That’s not enough to click with the other players, or allow everyone in the side the chance to get to know each other.
‘The newcomer and his father seek refuge in the clause included in his contract with Madrid which stipulates that the club must ensure that he trains with the senior squad five days a week.
‘Some players have complained that the teenager ‘can’t be bothered’ with his Castilla [Madrid reserves] team mates and is only interested in being alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.’
Zidane’s Segunda B team had lost four on the trot until Odegaard was finally dropped; then they started winning.
Who would have thought that giving a 16-year-old £80,000-a-week was a bad idea?
