‘Just seeing the baby helps me a lot. Sometimes the best thing is not to think about football at all – to come home and step into a completely different world’ Martin Odegaard on how fatherhood is helping his career

For Martin Odegaard, his best professional moments come with a cacophony of noise, when a roaring Emirates Stadium crowd erupts.

But away from the pitch, he is now getting used to silence.

The 27-year-old became a father two years ago, a milestone that offers a completely different feeling to anything he has achieved during his football career.

Odegaard on fatherhood

One notable difference this has made is to his post-match routine, with his young child usually asleep when he gets home, meaning silence is needed on his part.

“It’s tricky, but I’ve got a lot of experience with it now,” Odegaard tells FourFourTwo. “Having a family at home helps a lot, having people to come back to… when they’re awake.

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“I try to sleep as long as possible in the morning, then start with the recovery routines. Today we’re off so I’m going to spend some time at home, then try to get the body right for the next game.”

Odegaard is married to Helene Spilling – a dancer and a star in her own right thanks to her appearances on Skal vi danse, Norway’s version of Strictly Come Dancing – and their young son Matheo, born in December 2024, whose name he carries on his boots.

“To be a dad is unreal,” he continues. “It’s an amazing feeling and gives a whole new meaning to life. Every day I just try to be the best dad I can be for him, to help him.

“He’s still very young – just walking and running around a bit now – but as he gets older I want to be there, to do what’s right for him and help him grow up in the best possible way.”

Family, he explains, is also where the game loosens its grip. “They make me feel good, make me relax,” he smiles. “Just seeing the baby is a really good feeling and helps me a lot.

“Sometimes the best thing is not to think about football at all – to come home and step into a completely different world.”

A world of familiar faces, deliberately kept small. “I’ve always been very close with my people,” he says. “I don’t have a big circle. The ones in it have always been around.

“Even today I have the same friends, and my family is really important to me. I don’t forget that.”