Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has been the subject of a controversy between his teammate Oleksandr Zinchenko and the GOAT of football Lionel Messi.
Messi is widely considered the greatest footballer of all time (since leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar) and has won 8 Ballon d’Ors.
Better for his spells at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, the 37-year-old has been playing for David Beckham’s Inter Miami in the United States lately.
Messi is in a different stratosphere than Zinchenko in terms of ability, but Odegaard is convinced he sees similarities between the football legend and the left-back.
In an interview with ESPN, Odegaard asked to describe his Arsenal teammates in one word, and when read in Zinchenko’s call, he simply replied: “Messi. “
Odegaard has long been a big fan of Zinchenko. “I’ve seen him play a lot and I like his qualities,” the Arsenal captain said of the Ukrainian two years ago.
“I think he’s a very intelligent player. I think he can play in any position, as a left-back and midfielder, I think he can even play as a winger. He can play in other positions, so I think he’ll be a wonderful addition to the team.
It appears that Zinchenko will remain at Arsenal this summer after changing his squad number, following speculation about his long run at the Emirates.
“The number 17 is a very special number for me,” Zinchenko told Arsenal’s official website. “That was the number I wore as a young player and I asked to wear 17 when I played for my country.
“As on the 17th I was loose since Cédric left, I asked if I could change and thank you to everyone at the club for supporting me.
“It is also very important to say that if I have bought this season’s new shirt directly from the club with my call and 35, they will be able to get an exchange for my new number.
Zinchenko has worn the number 17 since leaving Russian club Ufa in 2016, as it was worn by Kevin De Bruyne and Cedric at Manchester City and Arsenal.
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