August 7th 2024.
Martin Odegaard was recently asked to describe his teammate in one word, and he came up with an unexpected answer - Messi. The Arsenal captain made an outrageous comparison between his teammate Oleksandr Zinchenko and the football GOAT, Lionel Messi. While Messi is widely considered the greatest footballer of all time, having recently guided Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar and winning eight Ballon d'Or awards, Zinchenko is known for his spells at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, and is currently playing for David Beckham's Inter Miami in the United States.
Despite the obvious difference in abilities between Messi and Zinchenko, Odegaard sees similarities between the two players. In an interview with ESPN, he was asked to describe his Arsenal teammates in one word, and when Zinchenko's name was mentioned, Odegaard simply replied with "Messi." It's no secret that Odegaard has been a big fan of Zinchenko for some time now. In fact, two years ago he expressed his admiration for the Ukrainian, saying "I've seen him play a lot and I really like his qualities. I think he's a really great player and can play in different positions, including left-back, midfield, and even as a winger. He would be a great addition to the squad."
Despite speculation over his future at Arsenal, Zinchenko looks set to stay with the club this summer. He even recently switched to his preferred squad number, 17, which holds a special meaning for him. "The number 17 is a very special number to me," he shared with Arsenal's official website. "It was the number I wore as a young player, and I've always requested to wear 17 when playing for my country." He also thanked the club for supporting him and announced that anyone who purchased this season's new shirt with his name and number 35 on it can exchange it for his new number, 17.
Interestingly, Zinchenko hasn't worn the number 17 since leaving Russian club Ufa in 2016, as it has been taken by Kevin De Bruyne at Manchester City and Cedric at Arsenal. But now, Zinchenko finally has the opportunity to wear his preferred number at Arsenal. With Odegaard's high praise and support from the club, it seems like Zinchenko is in a good place at Arsenal and will continue to contribute to the team's success.
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