Meanwhile, at the post-match press conference, assistant coach John Terry walked in looking visibly drained but buzzing with adrenaline.
Facing a sea of flashing cameras and eager reporters, the legend couldn't stop raving about his 17-year-old prodigy.
"I'll be honest with you lot, I have never seen a young player as naturally gifted as Theo," Terry said, leaning into the microphone.
"He is unreal. At just 17 years old, he's carrying the weight of this club on his shoulders. Two goals and two assists tonight in a bloody match... it's just unbelievable."
The former Chelsea captain then shifted his focus, making sure to show some heavy respect to his old teammate.
"Derby County gave us a hell of a game tonight. They showed incredible grit to come back and equalize. It's tough luck for Frank. In the dying seconds, Derby just made a single error and Theo punished them for it. But this match proves Frank has got serious chops as a manager. He's going to be a top, top boss."
Shortly after, a gutted Frank Lampard took the hot seat.
Losing in the dying seconds to his old skipper stung, but Lampard took it on the chin.
When the reporters asked about the teenager who dismantled his team, Lampard didn't hold back his admiration.
"I still can't wrap my head around the fact that the kid is only 17. His raw ability is frightening," Lampard sighed, shaking his head.
"I've heard the media comparing his playing style to mine back in the day. But let me tell you straight—after watching him tear my midfield apart tonight, I was nowhere near his level at that age. Not even close. His ceiling is limitless. He's going to be a world-class midfielder, no doubt about it."
...
The next morning, the English press had a field day.
Sky Sports: Championship Chelsea Derby! 17-Year-Old Theodore Bjorn Steals the Show! The Norwegian teenager dominated the pitch with two goals and two assists!
The Times: The Future is Bjorn! A 17-year-old wonderkid wins over 40,000 fans at Villa Park with a breathtaking display.
Daily Mail: Norway Boss Watches On As Teenage Sensation Snatches Last-Minute Winner!
On Reddit and major football forums, Premier League fans were practically drooling over the prospect of signing him.
"This kid plays with so much heart! He reminds me of a young Park Ji-sung with that endless engine. Man United needs to throw the checkbook at Villa right now!"
"As a Chelsea fan, I would love to see Theo in blue. He really is the next Lampard."
"Not many clubs can outbid City. Get him to the Etihad next season!"
"Imagine Theo at Spurs feeding balls to Kane and Son. That trident would be terrifying."
"Liverpool needs a proper successor to Steven Gerrard. This kid is the chosen one."
Across social media, Theodore's name was trending worldwide.
Clips of his match-winning volley racked up hundreds of millions of views on TikTok and Twitter.
Any creator who posted tactical breakdowns or highlights of the Aston Villa starlet watched their engagement go through the roof.
The teenager had become the internet's favorite football obsession.
Over at the Sky Sports headquarters in London, the executives were paying close attention.
A senior producer realized the sheer magnetism of the young midfielder.
To capitalize on the massive hype, the network decided to partner with social media platforms for an exclusive, live-streamed documentary and sit-down interview with Theodore.
They dispatched their star presenter, Laura Woods, to travel up to Birmingham to get the exclusive scoop.
To sweeten the deal, legendary commentator Peter Drury was officially assigned to cover Aston Villa's upcoming fixtures.
When Laura got the assignment, she was thrilled.
She had been keeping a close eye on the teenager since his very first senior appearance and considered herself a genuine fan of his gritty, intelligent playstyle.
Seeing him finally get the massive recognition he deserved made her truly happy.
...
Meanwhile, back in the chaotic Villa Park locker room, Theodore had just finished showering.
He was zipping up his duffel bag, exhausted and ready to crash at his hotel, when John Terry suddenly called out to him over the noise.
"Theo! Hold up a sec!"
Terry jogged over, a massive grin plastered across his face. "I've got some brilliant news for you, mate."
Theodore paused, raising an eyebrow.
"I just got off the phone with the Norwegian Football Federation," Terry beamed, clapping a heavy hand on the teenager's shoulder.
"Lars Lagerbäck just named you to his 24-man squad for the senior national team. Congratulations, kid. Go help your country win those Euro qualifiers."
Theodore stood there, momentarily stunned.
He knew the national team boss was in the stands tonight, but he honestly hadn't thought much of it.
He never expected a senior call-up this soon.
He was only 17, for fuck's sake!
With European football entering an international break, league fixtures were paused for the next week.
The grueling Championship schedule finally took a breather.
While the rest of the unselected Villa squad stayed behind to train, Theodore packed his bags.
Two days later, he boarded a flight to Oslo.
Back in his home country, the Norwegian press was already buzzing with the news of his call-up.
Norwegian Sports Daily: He's In! Theodore Bjorn Gets the Call! Can the Teenage Sensation Propel Norway to the Euros?
Norwegian Football News: Lars Lagerbäck Makes the Right Call! At 17, Theodore Bjorn becomes Norway's youngest national team player since Martin Ødegaard! The whole country is holding its breath to see him shine!
...
Oslo, Norway.
When Theodore arrived at the national team camp, he was genuinely shocked to realize Haaland hadn't made the cut.
The only reason the big striker was left out? Lars Lagerbäck wasn't satisfied with his mental resilience just yet.
After watching Theodore's masterclass in Birmingham, the Norwegian boss had flown straight to Austria the very next day to scout Haaland.
Word got to Haaland before kickoff that the national team manager was up in the stands.
The heavy pressure got straight to the young striker's head.
He suffered a massive bout of nerves and choked during the game, even managing to shank a shot wide of a gaping open goal!
He was a ghost for the full ninety minutes.
He scored nothing and his team ended up losing the match.
Although Theodore wouldn't get to link up with Haaland this time around, he knew the striker's raw freakish talent.
It was only a matter of time before Erling bullied his way into the national setup.
When Theodore stepped into the Norwegian training facility, head coach Lars Lagerbäck hauled him into his office immediately.
As soon as the door closed, Lagerbäck gave the teenager a massive bear hug, shaking his hand with fierce excitement.
"Theo, you are a bloody talent, lad," Lagerbäck grinned, his eyes full of anticipation. "I watched you tear Derby apart with my own eyes. I have massive expectations for you. I just need you to bring that exact same fire from Aston Villa right here to the national team."
Lagerbäck patted the teenager heavily on the shoulder.
"No problem, boss," Theodore replied, keeping his voice steady and grounded. "As long as I'm on that pitch, I'll bleed for the shirt. I'll give it my all."
Hearing the gritty determination, Lagerbäck smiled with immense satisfaction.
"Good man. Since this is your first senior camp, you won't be familiar with our system yet. Let's get you up to speed."
With that, the manager dragged a tactical board over and started furiously drawing formation diagrams.
...
At 1:00 PM, Theodore officially stepped onto the grass for the Norwegian national team's first training session.
Even though he was only 17 and the youngest lad on the pitch, the senior players didn't try to bully him or give him a hard time.
In fact, they treated him with a heavy dose of respect.
They weren't stupid.
Getting a senior call-up at 17 was enough to prove his terrifying potential.
Plus, Theodore was currently sitting pretty at the very top of the English Championship assist charts!
Sure, Norway had a few players scattered across Europe's top five leagues, but most of them were just squad rotation players.
Theodore, on the other hand, was the undisputed attacking heartbeat of Aston Villa.
In terms of raw hype and reputation, aside from the equally young Martin Ødegaard, none of the other Norwegian players could match Theodore's current star power.
During the drills, Lagerbäck specifically threw Theodore and Ødegaard into the same training group.
The manager's intention was crystal clear: he wanted these two wonderkids to figure each other out and build some chemistry.
Ødegaard knew a thing or two about hype. He was the youngest player to ever debut for the Norwegian national team, stepping onto the pitch at just 15 years and 250 days old.
He was a certified prodigy!
At 15, he had already played for Real Madrid.
Since then, he'd been on a harsh loan journey, bouncing from Madrid to Heerenveen and later to Vitesse and Twente to grind out minutes.
This season, Ødegaard was in solid form, bagging 5 goals and 7 assists in the Eredivisie.
His market value was hovering around €20 million.
Right now, he was Norway's creative focal point.
Although Ødegaard was also a midfielder, his position didn't clash with Theodore's.
Ødegaard liked to drift high into the attacking third as an advanced playmaker, whereas Theodore was a gritty, relentless box-to-box engine who could dictate the tempo from deep and throw in a nasty tackle.
Since they were close in age—17 and 20—there was zero generation gap.
During training, the two of them were constantly chatting, laughing and pinging balls to each other.
They hit it off immediately.
No egos, just two ballers.
In three days, Norway was scheduled to play a tough friendly against Denmark.
Lagerbäck wanted to use this Nordic clash to test his squad before the European Championship qualifiers against Spain in mid-March.
Norway had been drawn into Group F.
It was one hell of a group featuring Spain, Sweden, Romania, the Faroe Islands and Malta.
Only the top two teams would book a ticket to the main tournament.
Advancing was going to be a massive headache.
Spain were the heavyweights, while Sweden and Romania were dangerous opponents.
Meanwhile, across the internet, international football Twitter was losing its mind over the official squad announcement.
The Athletic: Breaking! 17-year-old Aston Villa sensation Theodore Bjorn selected for the Norwegian senior squad! If he steps onto the pitch in an official competitive match, he will be officially cap-tied to Norway!
The comments section turned into a massive warzone of opinions.
"Huh? I really don't understand why Gareth Southgate didn't try to poach him for England! He lives in Birmingham!"
"Exactly! The FA should have thrown a passport at him! With Theo pulling the strings, England's midfield would be set for the next decade!"
"Are you lot crazy? The English media would eat the kid alive the second he has a bad game. Playing for Norway takes the massive weight off his shoulders."
"If I were Theo, I'd pick Norway too. Build a legacy there instead of dealing with the toxic English press."
"Why are fans still arguing about this? He was born in Norway. It's his home!"
....
Three days later.
Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo.
The floodlights were glaring down as the fiery friendly between Norway and Denmark was about to kick off.
Up in the stands, Theodore's parents had come to cheer for him.
But his dad hadn't just brought the family.
As a national team player, Theodore had been handed over a dozen VIP tickets by the Norwegian FA.
He naturally gave them all straight to his dad.
Upon learning the tickets were free, his dad went into full businessman mode.
He started handing them out to the hardcore regulars at their family restaurant back home!
He even ran a wild promotion: spend enough on a meal, get a free ticket to Oslo to watch his son play for the national team!
It was a shameless win-win.
It brought in massive profits and let him proudly show off his boy on the international stage.
A classic dad move!
At 7:30 PM, the managers submitted the official team sheets.
Theodore Bjorn was in the starting eleven.
Alongside him, Martin Ødegaard also secured his spot.
The two kids were ready for war!
---------
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