Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has reminisced about watching former Liverpool players Steven Gerrard and John Arne Riise ahead of his side’s upcoming Premier League clash against the Reds.
Odegaard, 23, has established himself as a crucial first-team starter at the Emirates since arriving from Real Madrid for £30 million last summer.
He has guided his side to a comfortable second spot in the league this season with 21 points from eight games, scoring three goals in the process.
In his column for his club’s matchday programme, Odegaard opened up about watching the Reds during his childhood. He wrote:
“I remember watching Liverpool at home as a kid, and players like Steven Gerrard. Also John Arne Riise of course, I was only young when he was there, but I remember the big goals he scored and his famous free-kicks too.”
He continued:
“He’s a huge name in Norwegian football – he holds the record for most appearances for the Norway national team, he won the Champions League too, so he had a big career and was somebody I looked at for sure.”
While Gerrard was the talisman for the Reds for more than a decade, Riise plied his trade at Anfield between 2001 and 2008. An offensive-minded left-back, the Norwegian registered 31 goals and 33 assists in 348 matches for the Merseyside outfit, lifting seven trophies.
The Reds, who finished second last season, are currently 10th in the 2022-23 Premier League standings with 10 points from seven games.
In his column for Paddy Power, former Reds defender Mark Lawrenson predicted the outcome of Sunday’s clash at the Emirates. He wrote: