Martin Ødegaard's Arsenal renaissance just keeps getting better

Martin Ødegaard put in yet another superb performance as he struck the winner in Arsenal's 1-0 win over Napoli in their first Champions League game of the season, continuing his renaissance in red and white.

The Gunners captain netted the sole goal in his side's slender victory against a stubborn Gli Azzurri, and his finish was just the icing on the cake of what was a sensational showing throughout the match.

He has enjoyed an outstanding start to the 2026/27 season with top performances in each of his appearances and his display in Naples has made it seem as if Ødegaard's renaissance is just going to keep on going.

Martin Ødegaard has already surpassed his goals tally from last season 🤯

2025/26: 1 goal in 36 games
2026/27: 4 goals in 5 games pic.twitter.com/EYeQLSIF7e

Ødegaard has started all five of his side's opening matches this season and he has already looked better than he did at any stage during what was to be honest a dismal 2025/26 campaign, by his standards anyway.

The skipper has netted four goals so far, three more than he did in the entirety of last season, managing to do so in 31 fewer matches. His first strike came in the 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City with his latest being his winner at Napoli on Wednesday night.

Not only has his form in front of goal improved drastically, his all-round performances have also enjoyed a huge upturn. He has consistently been one of his side's most dangerous players in each appearance so far, and only looks to be getting better as the games go by.

Against Napoli, he created an incredible six chances, the most by any player in an opening game of the Champions League, had the most touches with 121, and completed the most dribbles (three). He also generated an expected assists (xA) of 1.33 and enjoyed an 87% pass accuracy with 91 completed from 105 attempts.

That's not a performance any player can manage and it is only the standard Ødegaard has set throughout the first weeks of the new season.

In his five appearances so far, he has created 14 chances, completed 288 passes and had 388 touches of the ball. Each of those key stats has allowed him to improve outstandingly on his uneventful exploits last season, and it shows just how much influence he is currently having on matches.

Last term, Ødegaard looked like a shadow of his former self. Injuries prevented him from staying consistently fit, but even when he played, he looked nowhere near his best and the standard that Arsenal fans are used to.

There was even talk of him being sold over the summer and plenty of fans agreed with that. Despite being the captain and having just won the Premier League, his performances were well below par and not at the level needed for Mikel Arteta and his team to enjoy constant success.

However, he was trusted to stay for this season as his side look to defend their league title and go one better with victory in the Champions League, and it appears he has answered the cry from his fans to improve his displays.

Ødegaard is enjoying a renaissance period for Arsenal that is nothing short of incredible, and it looks as if he is only getting better and better in each game. Gunners fans will be hoping that his brilliant rise in form can continue throughout the whole season.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations