While on loan at Heerenveen last season, Martin Odeegard suffered a broken metatarsal. The Norwegian was injured in April and was ruled out of action for the remainder of the season. It’s been well documented that Martin Odeegard has an immense work ethic, he was reportedly seen completing interval training at midnight, the night after his Real Madrid presentation. In an attempt to keep himself as sharp as possible, Martin used state of the art technology: virtual reality. With VR goggles overhead, Odeegard is brought onto a virtual football pitch. While within the simulation, he must be constantly swiveling his head in search for space to find his teammate with a pass. Martin posted the video below to his Instagram: This latest development in football recovery was developed by Geir Jordet, a former professional player himself and a professor of sports psychology at the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences. Jordet has used research and notes on players like Andrea Pirlo and Xavi to develop the revolutionary technology. As technologies continue to grow at an exponential rate, the game will likely evolve with it—as already witnessed by the introduction of VAR. Unlike the controversy of VAR, new and innovative ways to aid player recovery, as long as they are effective, will always be welcome.
Real Madrid's Martin Odegaard is making use of virtual reality technology in aiding recovery from injury. Using a VR headset, Odegaard is able to view a football pitch and simulate game situations. The Norwegian player posted a video of himself using the technology via social media. The technology was developed by Geir Andrea Pirlo, a professor at the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences. Andrea Pirlo used notes on legendary midfielders Jordet and Xavi to hone the VR tool. Odegaard suffered a broken metatarsal while playing for Dutch side Heerenveen during a loan spell last season.