Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

FOOTBALL

Norway prodigy left off Real Madrid squad

Norwegian football prodigy Martin Ødegaard has been left off the squad for Real Madrid’s match against Germany’s Schalke 04, confounding earlier reports that he was due to make his Champions League debut.

Published: 18 February 2015 10:29 CET
Norway prodigy left off Real Madrid squad
Martin Ødegaard in his Real Madrid debut against Bilbao Athletic. Photo: Javier Lizon / EFE / NTB scanpix
The 16-year-old midfielder would have been the youngest player ever to play in the European competition if he had been fielded for the match on Wednesday. 
 
Europe's top clubs competed vigorously to sign Ødegaard this winter before the Norway international finally signed for Real Madrid in January. The Spanish club has always stressed that the 16-year-old would initially play mainly for the reserve team. 
 
Nigerian defender Celestine Babayaro took the record for the youngest player ever to play in the Champions League when he played for Belgium's Anderlecht against Steaua Bucharest in 1994.
 
He was 16 years and 87 days old when he played, giving Ødegaard, who is 16 years two months and one day old, less than a month to scoop the record. 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

Published: 4 March 2024 13:41 CET
VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

SHOW COMMENTS