This Saturday at 6 p.m. (CET), Paris Saint-Germain will face Arsenal at the Puskás Arena in Budapest in the 2025-2026 Champions League final. In a press conference, Gunners midfielder Martin Ødegaard (27 years old) spoke about the upcoming match and their Parisian opponent.
Ødegaard: “This dream seems more real than ever.”
“This dream seems more real than ever. We’ve accomplished something wonderful. Now, we no longer have that pressure. We’ve silenced those who said we weren’t capable of doing it.
PSG is a very good team with quality players, but we’re ready and we’re going to play the football we know how to play.
We want to make even more history, and when you’ve tasted victory and lifted another trophy, you know how good it feels. We want to do it again.”
The difference in preparation time for this final between PSG and Arsenal?
“We had a week to recover and prepare for this match. A game like this won’t be decided by playing time, but by quality plays and team organization.”
Martin Ødegaard first places this final within a personal context. The Arsenal captain isn’t just talking about a sporting event, but about a long-held, almost foundational dream that has finally become reality. It’s a powerful narrative for the media: that of a player reaching the night he imagined as a child.
But his message goes further. By explaining that Arsenal “no longer has that pressure,” Ødegaard establishes the idea of a group liberated by their Premier League title. The Gunners present themselves as a team already validated, already strengthened by past criticism. Before facing Paris Saint-Germain, this confidence becomes a very clear public message.
Moreover, Patrick Vieira sent a message to this Arsenal team.
Ødegaard: “To do something even they couldn’t achieve”
“He’s a legend. To receive a message from him is very special. We have the opportunity to do something even they couldn’t achieve.”
The support of former stars further reinforces this momentum. Thierry Henry wrote to Saka, Patrick Vieira to Ødegaard. For Arsenal, these messages are not simply words of encouragement: they serve as a reminder that this final transcends the match itself. It touches on the team’s place in the club’s history.
Ødegaard’s statement is revealing. To achieve what even past generations couldn’t accomplish is an immense ambition. It can galvanize Arsenal, but it can also create a particular tension. As they look ahead to the unfolding history, the Gunners must avoid forgetting the immediate obstacle: a Paris Saint-Germain side accustomed to turning such details into advantages.
In this media frenzy, Arsenal is projecting a carefully constructed image of confidence. Ødegaard speaks of the dream and the pressure lifted. Saka talks about the fans and the collective emotion. Henry and Vieira lend historical depth to the narrative. PSG, however, won’t need to respond with words. They will primarily have to shatter this narrative on the pitch.
