On TikTok and Twitter, numerous creators posted highlights of Theodore Bjorn's phenomenal performance against West Bromwich Albion.
Once released, these compilation videos instantly garnered massive likes and comments from users all over the globe.
The most popular video received over 1 million likes! Along with thousands comments echoing the hype.
"Theodore Bjorn is absolutely outstanding! He single-handedly provided all four assists for Aston Villa! Even Zidane, Xavi, and Pirlo couldn't achieve this kind of vision at 17!" — Likes: 23,762
"Though Theodore is half chinese, he was born in Norway and is carrying that Nordic ice in his veins! In a way, he is the absolute pride of Scandinavian football right now!" — Likes: 89,342
"At his current level, Theodore Bjorn is fully capable of starting for a relegation-battling team in the top five European leagues right this second!" — Likes: 12,983
"If Theodore Bjorn can get capped by the Norwegian national team and make it to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Norway will instantly be my favorite dark horse team!" — Likes: 8,328
...
The next day. 7:00 AM. At a luxury hotel in Birmingham.
After waking up early, Dilraba immediately took the direct train to London with her father, Mulati, to catch their international flight back home.
On the train ride, Mulati initiated a conversation with his daughter. "Did you end up having dinner with Theodore Bjorn last night?"
"Yes! He's a really nice guy. We finished eating around 2 AM, and he made sure to safely drop me off at the hotel before heading back to his own apartment," Dilraba chattered excitedly to her father.
"And! Theodore promised me! If we ever fly back to England to watch a game live, he will give us free VIP tickets!"
Mulati smiled warmly and meaningfully at his daughter's bubbling enthusiasm.
...
Birmingham, Aston Villa Training Ground.
A new day of training had officially begun.
After securing five consecutive wins, Aston Villa was in excellent red-hot form, though their position in the Championship standings stubbornly remained in sixth.
They were now just one single point behind the fifth-placed team!
In their next match, Aston Villa would travel to face Stoke City.
Currently, Stoke City held the ninth position in the Championship table.
To be honest, Stoke City's ranking didn't accurately reflect the team's actual strength.
As a longstanding, gritty English club, Stoke City had frequently competed in the Premier League for years.
Known for their physical tactical emphasis on long balls and aerial attacks, the team was famously nicknamed "The Potters."
Theodore Bjorn actually had a certain connection with Stoke City.
It was his standout, dominant performance against Stoke City's U17 team that had initially led John Terry to recommend him to Dean Smith, ultimately securing his life-changing spot in Aston Villa's first team.
After the intense training session wrapped up, Dean Smith gathered the first-team players in the locker room for a team talk.
"Lads! We are getting fucking closer to our ultimate goal of winning the Championship!" Smith barked, his voice echoing off the lockers.
"In a couple of days, we will take on Stoke City! It is going to be an absolute dogfight of a battle!"
"This team boasts many exceptionally talented and physical players! What's more, I won't be able to coach you from the sidelines in the next match because of those absolute bastard referees! Even so, I believe every single one of you can step up and secure a massive victory away from home!"
...
The day before the match.
Aston Villa's first team arrived by coach at the gritty English town of Stoke-on-Trent.
At the mandatory pre-match press conference, Dean Smith actively chose not to attend, instead sending his assistant coach, John Terry, in his place.
Smith's sole reason for refusing to attend the press conference was to publicly protest the FA's bullshit decisions.
After the previous chaotic match against West Brom, Aston Villa had immediately appealed the referee's highly questionable decisions to the FA.
However, the FA outright rejected Aston Villa's appeal.
They neither rescinded the red cards shown to Dean Smith and Kortney Hause, nor did they penalize the incompetent referee.
This left Dean Smith utterly furious!
Hence, for this match, he told the media obligations to go to hell and refused to attend.
John Terry, however, remained remarkably calm and collected during the media interviews.
"Although our team faced some incredibly unfair decisions in the last match, that is all behind us now. What we need to focus on is performing well and grabbing three points in this upcoming game," Terry stated smoothly.
"Stoke City is a very strong, physical team. Back when I was a player, we faced Stoke City almost every season in the Premier League, and it was never an easy day out!"
"Although Stoke City, much like Aston Villa, has been relegated to the Championship, this team still possesses considerable depth and raw strength. Tomorrow's match will be a challenging one for us, but we are fully prepared for the fight."
Terry maintained a highly professional, relatively low profile.
In stark contrast, Stoke City's 46-year-old manager, Nathan Jones, was brimming with arrogant confidence.
During his pre-match interview, he appeared extremely self-assured and dismissive.
"Stoke City has lost far too many matches this season that we simply shouldn't have. I've already implemented massive reforms within the team. From now on, Stoke City will get back on track," Jones declared to the local reporters.
"Although Aston Villa is on a five-match winning streak and currently sits sixth in the league, appearing unstoppable to some, in my view, this team is absolutely nothing to worry about."
"Whether it's Jack Grealish, that overhyped 17-year-old Norwegian kid, or Tammy Abraham... none of them will be able to break through our defensive structure."
"Just wait and see. Tomorrow evening, Stoke City will emphatically end Aston Villa's winning streak right here at our home ground."
...
Match day.
Britannia Stadium. 7:15 PM.
The hostile Stoke City fans had already filled the freezing concrete stands, eagerly anticipating the start of the massive clash!
Meanwhile, up in the official Sky Sports broadcasting studio, commentators Gary Weaver and Don Goodman began their pre-match team introductions.
"Welcome to the highlight match of the 34th round of the EFL Championship! It is Stoke City hosting Aston Villa at home!" Weaver announced energetically.
"Currently, Stoke City sits in ninth place in the Championship. Their performance this season hasn't been particularly ideal, but the team's roster is quite impressive on paper."
"Manager Nathan Jones has deployed an aggressive 4-3-3 formation tonight," Weaver continued, looking at the graphics.
"In goal: Jack Butland."
"The four defenders are: Tom Edwards, Danny Batth, Bruno Martins Indi, and Sam Clucas!"
"The three midfielders: Veteran Charlie Adam anchoring the center, former Liverpool midfield general Joe Allen on the right, and the powerful Nigerian international Peter Etebo as the left central midfielder!"
"The three forwards leading the line: Tom Ince, Sam Vokes, and Bojan Krkić!"
"Aston Villa, playing away from home, have made only one forced change to their lineup compared to their previous dramatic match," Goodman chimed in to analyze the away side.
"Defender Kortney Hause is officially suspended due to that controversial red card, and he has been replaced at the back by Neil Taylor."
"Goalkeeper: Lovre Kalinić."
"The four defenders are: Alan Hutton, Tommy Elphick, Tyrone Mings, and Neil Taylor."
"The lone defensive midfielder: Mile Jedinak."
"The four attacking midfielders: Theodore Bjorn, Conor Hourihane, John McGinn, and Jack Grealish."
"The lone striker up top: Tammy Abraham!"