Halfway across the world in China.
On the overseas youth academy section of the massive football platform Dongqiu, a new article dropped.
"17-Year-Old Chinese-Descent Teenager Bags Two Assists in Championship, Rescues Aston Villa."
Within minutes, the article caught fire, instantly drawing the eyes of hundreds of thousands of starved Chinese football fans.
The comment section exploded into a chaotic warzone of hype and cynicism.
@VillaFan99: "Chinese descent?! And he's only 17?! Holy shit, naturalize him right now! Get the FA on the phone!"
@BallerInsight: "His dad is fully Chinese, so he 100% meets the naturalization criteria. If we cap-tie him, the national team might actually have a pulse again!"
@RealistFC: "Hold your damn horses. The FA might want him, but you have to ask if Theodore actually wants to play for us. He's 17 and tearing up the English Championship. His ceiling is massive."
@SaltyStriker: "Let's be honest—if I were Theodore Bjorn, I wouldn't touch the Chinese national team with a ten-foot pole. Our men's team is a complete trash right now. Why the hell would he wade into that toxic swamp when he's killing it in England?"
@TacticalGenius: "Even if he naturalizes, he might not even make the squad unless he plays along with the 'unwritten rules' and bribes the right people. Stay in Europe, kid! Don't ruin your career!"
@BrummieBoy: "Forget the national team drama for a second... I just want to watch him play! Dongqiu, buy the damn Championship broadcast rights! We want to see our boy ball out!"
In less than an hour, the comment count smashed past 100,000.
The sheer volume of traffic and the overwhelming demand to watch Theodore play immediately caught the attention of Dongqiu's upper management.
Seeing a goldmine, they didn't hesitate.
That very evening, they dispatched a team of executives to England.
After a grueling three-hour negotiation, Dongqiu struck a deal with the English Football Association, dropping a staggering £20 million to secure the Championship broadcast rights for the next three years.
To capitalize on the hype, Dongqiu immediately opened their checkbook again, successfully poaching the legendary commentary duo Zhan Jun and Coach Zhang Lu to call the matches.
...
February 1, 2019. Villa Park.
Aston Villa's next opponent was Sheffield United.
The stakes were massive.
Sheffield United was sitting comfortably in 7th place, while Aston Villa lurked right behind them in 8th.
Only two points separated them. If Villa could defend their home turf and secure all three points, they would leapfrog Sheffield in the standings and march closer to the promotion playoff spots.
It was a true six-pointer.
Neither team could afford to drop this game.
Down in the home locker room, Dean Smith stood in front of the tactical board and announced the starting eleven.
With Jack Grealish's ankle still heavily swollen from Chalobah's dirty tackle, there was a massive hole in the midfield.
But after watching the 17-year-old completely dismantle Ipswich Town just a few days prior, Smith didn't even hesitate.
Theodore Bjorn was named in the starting lineup.
His first professional start!
...
Meanwhile, on the eastern edge of the Eurasian continent, Dongqiu officially launched its maiden Championship broadcast as Millions of fans tuned in.
In the Beijing studio, the iconic voices of Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu crackled to life.
"Welcome, football fans, to the Dongqiu exclusive broadcast of the 2018-2019 EFL Championship!" Zhan Jun's energetic voice boomed.
"We are live at Villa Park for a massive Round 30 clash between Aston Villa and Sheffield United!"
"Currently, Villa sits in eighth, while Sheffield holds seventh," Zhan Jun continued. "Looking at the form guide, Aston Villa has 7 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in their last ten. They aren't intimidated. However, in their first encounter this season, Sheffield battered them 4-1 away from home."
"To make matters worse, Villa's undisputed attacking engine, Jack Grealish, suffered a nasty injury last match and is entirely unavailable tonight. Zhang, how do you see Aston Villa pulling out a win at home without their main man?"
Zhang Lu chuckled, his veteran insight kicking in. "Hehe, it's a tough one to call, Jun. Honestly, Aston Villa's entire fate tonight rests on the shoulders of their 17-year-old midfielder, Theodore Bjorn. He grabbed two brilliant assists off the bench last game. Let's see if the kid can handle the pressure of a full ninety minutes."
...
Down on the pitch, the referee led the two squads out of the tunnel.
The roar of Villa Park was deafening.
"Alright, the players have stepped onto the pitch! Let's look at the tactical setups," Zhan Jun announced.
"Coach Dean Smith has lined Aston Villa up in a 4-1-4-1 formation. Kalinić is in goal. A back four of Hutton, Elphick, Mings, and Taylor. The veteran Australian, Jedinak, anchors the midfield alone as the CDM. The four midfielders ahead of him: Hourihane, McGinn, El Ghazi, and making his first-ever senior start... the 17-year-old Theodore Bjorn! Up top, Tammy Abraham leads the line as the lone striker."
"On the other side," Zhan Jun continued, "Coach Chris Wilder has deployed Sheffield United in their aggressive, overlapping 3-5-2 system. Henderson in net. A back three of O'Connell, Egan, and Basham. A stacked five-man midfield featuring Stevens, Fleck, Norwood, Duffy, and Dowell. Leading the attack are McGoldrick and Billy Sharp!"
The moment Theodore took his position in the midfield, the cold, mechanical voice of the system echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Single-Match Mission Issued: Help the team achieve victory!]
[Mission Reward: 5 Free Attribute Points!]
'Five free attribute points?' Theodore's eyes widened. 'Holy shit. I can put those anywhere.'
A surge of pure adrenaline rushed through his veins.
He was going to win this damn game if he had to run until his lungs bled!
Peeeeep!
The referee blew the whistle as Sheffield United kicked off.
Sheffield didn't waste a single second. Striker Billy Sharp tapped the ball back to John Fleck in the midfield.
Fleck instantly whipped a sweeping pass out wide to Kieran Dowell on the right flank.
Dowell took an aggressive first touch, using his raw pace to completely torch the Villa full-back and surge down the wing.
Seeing the danger, the veteran defensive midfielder, Mile Jedinak, abandoned his central post and sprinted over to cover, throwing his massive body into a sliding challenge to cut Dowell off.
But Dowell was sharp.
Just a fraction of a second before Jedinak crunched him, the Sheffield winger chopped the ball inside, completely evading the tackle.
Jedinak went sliding helplessly across the wet grass and the midfield was completely exposed.
Dowell immediately zipped a quick pass back into the center—straight to the feet of an unmarked John Fleck.
Fleck took one touch to set himself on the edge of the penalty arc.
He looked up, saw the angle and wound up his left leg to unleash a thunderous long-range strike.
But out of the corner of his eye, a blur of claret and blue flashed into his peripheral vision.
It was Theodore.
Reading the play two steps ahead of everyone else, the teenager launched himself through the air, completely abandoning his own safety, throwing his entire body directly into the path of Fleck's swinging boot!
...
Forgot to change the commentator for this match, beat with it cause they will be replaced later.