Martin Odegaard Joins the Likes of Fabregas and Totti

Taking up the mantle of membership captain is all the time a prestigious place, not to mention on the age of 23 – that’s precisely what new Arsenal talisman Martin Odegaard has achieved after only one full season on the Emirates.

The Norwegian joins an illustrious membership of younger captains which have proven the required character on and off the pitch to guide their respective groups.

We’re having a look at a number of the large names in world soccer down the years who’ve been named membership captain at a younger age.

Steven Gerrard – 23 Years Previous

After exploding on the scene as a fiery teenager, Steven Gerrard’s legacy as arguably Liverpool’s biggest ever captain began in 2003 as he took the armband for the primary time aged 23.

Only one 12 months later, the long run England captain led the Reds to a panoramic Champions League comeback towards AC Milan, scoring a vital objective to assist his facet overturn a 3 objective deficit.

He would stay as membership captain till his departure in 2015, scoring 120 objectives in complete and registering 504 appearances.

Cesc Fabregas – 21 Years Previous

New Gunners captain Martin Odegaard is the youngest skipper since Cesc Fabregas, who famously took up the mantle of on-pitch chief within the 2008-09 season.

The Spaniard shortly established himself as one of many best midfielders within the league as supervisor Arsene Wenger eased him into the beginning XI aged 17.

The season previous to being handed the captaincy, the then-20-year-old amassed a complete host of non-public honours, amassing PFA Younger Participant of the 12 months, Arsenal’s Participant of the 12 months in addition to being named within the PFA Workforce of the Season.

Tony Adams – 21 Years Previous

From one Arsenal captain to the subsequent, this checklist wouldn’t be full with out mentioning Tony Adams.

A real one-club participant, he grew to become Arsenal’s figurehead in 1988 and remained there for the subsequent 14 years. He captained a title-winning workforce in three completely different many years, additionally successful three FA Cups, two League Cups, a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, and two Group Shields.

He famously stated “play for the identify on the entrance of the shirt and they’re going to bear in mind the identify on the again.”

Francesco Totti – 21 Years Previous

October 1998 noticed the “eighth King of Rome” , as he’s now affectionately identified, take the armband for the primary time changing into the youngest ever Serie A skipper within the course of.

Francesco Totti is extensively thought to be one of the loyal footballers Europe has ever witnessed, and remained as Roma’s chief for 19 years.

Throughout that point, he obtained quite a few presents from the likes of Actual Madrid and Manchester United, however selected to stay within the Italian capital and is quoted as saying “Roma comes earlier than the rest”. He received a Serie A title and two Coppa Italia titles on his method to changing into the second-highest scorer of all time in Serie A historical past with 250 objectives.

Fernando Torres – 19 Years Previous

The primary teenage captain on our checklist, Fernando Torres was Mr Atletico Madrid when he broke on the scene as he helped elevate the membership up from the Segunda Division in 2001.

By the 2003-04 season, “El Niño” had taken the armband regardless of the presence of many different senior gamers within the squad together with present supervisor Diego Simeone.

Six years, 82 objectives and 214 appearances later, he made the change to Liverpool in 2007, however his love for Atletico noticed him return in 2015 and he’s now in command of the the membership’s Juvenil A youth facet.

Patrick Vieira – 19 Years Previous

Whereas extensively famend for captaining Arsenal in the course of the membership’s Premier League successful Invincible season, Patrick Vieira was the truth is a captain earlier than arriving on English shores.

He made his first skilled look at French membership Cannes aged 17, the place he would later be named captain aged simply 19 earlier than AC Milan swooped in to accumulate his companies in the summertime of 2005.

Ruben Neves – 18 Years Previous

Lengthy earlier than cementing his place as a mainstay in Wolves’ midfield, long-range specialist Ruben Neves captained boyhood membership Porto within the Champions League aged simply 18 again in 2015.

Within the course of, Neves grew to become the youngest participant to begin as captain within the Champions League, surpassing earlier report holder Rafael van der Vaart.

Matthijs De Ligt – 18 Years Previous

After not too long ago securing a big-money transfer to Bayern Munich, Matthijs De Ligt has now featured for 3 European heavyweights aged simply 23.

His management qualities had been clear to see from a younger age, incomes him the armband at boyhood membership Ajax aged simply 18 following an damage to earlier captain Joel Veltman.

De Ligt holds the report for the youngest captain in a Champions League knockout fixture, main his facet to a memorable two-legged win over Actual Madrid in 2019 as Ajax reached the ultimate 4.

Mamadou Sakho – 17 Years Previous

And so, we attain the youngest participant on our checklist.

Extremely, Mamadou Sakho was named captain on his first league look for PSG. Previous to the membership’s monumental Saudi takeover, the Parisians had been struggling to impose themselves in Ligue 1, and in an try and galvanise a number of the extra skilled members of the squad, supervisor Paul Le Guen handed the then-17-year-old Sakho the armband.

Regardless of sporadically captaining in subsequent years, he was named full captain on the Parc de Princes aged 21.