As promised, the System delivered the reward.
10 Free Attribute Points!
Before allocating the points, Theodore opened his interface to review his current stats.
Host: Theodore Bjorn
Age: 17
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 80 kg
Position: Midfielder
[Physical Attributes] Pace: 75-77 (Training Bonus) Strength: 86-87 (Training Bonus) Jumping Reach: 73-76 (Training Bonus) Natural Fitness: 72-74 (Training Bonus) Stamina: 98
[Technical Attributes] Long Passing: 100 Short Passing: 69-74 (Training Bonus) Through Balls: 68-73 (Training Bonus) Curve: 67-72 (Training Bonus) Finishing: 68 Long Shots: 69 Set Pieces: 69 Heading: 95 Penalties: 68
First Touch: 67-71 (Training Bonus) Vision: 84 Dribbling: 67 Ball Control: 73 Interceptions: 65 Tackling: 74 Sliding Tackle: 65 Marking: 67
Overall Rating: 82 Grade: B-Class!
Star Skill Cards: Pirlo's Peak Long Pass Card (Peak), Xabi Alonso's Vision Card (Platinum), Schweinsteiger's Strength Card (Platinum), Klinsmann's Peak Heading Card (Peak), Nedvěd's Peak Stamina Card (Peak).
Reviewing the board, Theodore felt his attacking output was more than sufficient, especially with the Klinsmann Heading Card allowing him to act as a lethal target in the box.
However, for a Premier League midfielder, his defensive stats were a glaring weakness.
Aside from his tackling, his defensive attributes hovered poorly in the mid-sixties.
Determined to become a complete midfielder, Theodore dumped all ten points directly into Sliding Tackle.
His Sliding Tackle stat instantly jumped from 65 to 75.
While not elite, it was finally at a respectable, functional level for the English top flight.
The boost pushed his Overall Rating from 82 to 83!
...
Following the gritty win over West Ham, Villa faced a brutal two-match week.
On Wednesday, they would make their Europa League debut against Portuguese side Braga.
Then, on the weekend, they faced a massive Premier League clash away against Arsenal.
Arsenal were in phenomenal form.
They had suffered only one defeat all season—a 3-1 loss to Liverpool—and currently sat fifth in the table. Unai Emery's side at the Emirates was undeniably the bigger challenge.
Consequently, Dean Smith planned to heavily rotate his squad for the Braga fixture. Initially, Theodore's name was left off the team sheet.
Smith viewed him as the absolute core of the squad, risking his stamina in a midweek European fixture could compromise their chances against Arsenal on the weekend.
Theodore flatly rejected the proposal.
He marched straight into Smith's office and demanded to play!
His confidence was rooted in reality. With a stamina rating of 98, fatigue simply didn't apply to him in the same way it did to normal players.
He was more than capable of playing two high-intensity matches in four days.
"Theo, I'll ask you one more time," Smith sighed, rubbing his temples. "Are you absolutely sure you want to play ninety minutes on Wednesday?"
"Of course, Boss."
"We can sacrifice the Europa League," Smith reasoned. "The Premier League is our priority."
"No," Theodore replied, his tone resolute. "I want to win both. Trust me, Boss. I will give you everything I have against Braga, and I will be perfectly fine to do it again against Arsenal."
Reluctantly, Smith caved in, penciling Theodore into the starting eleven.
...
September 20th. 3:00 PM. Villa Park.
Aston Villa's first-ever Europa League group stage match was minutes away from kicking off.
Just as Theodore stepped into the tunnel, the system voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Host detected participating in a European competition. New mission initiated!]
[Ding! Mission issued: Secure victory in the first Europa League match!]
[Ding! Reward: One Black Gold Card!]
"Thank goodness I'm playing tonight," Theodore thought, walking out of the manager's office. "I almost missed out on the Black Gold Card."
He wasn't worried about the opposition.
If Villa could go toe-to-toe with Tottenham and Everton, a mid-tier Portuguese side shouldn't pose a massive threat.
...
Three days later, Theodore led the Villa squad out of the tunnel.
Villa Park was packed to the rafters.
It had been nearly a decade since Aston Villa last tasted European football, and the home support treated the Europa League group stage opener like a cup final.
A sea of claret and blue roared as the starting elevens shook hands!
The match kicked off.
Perhaps intimidated by the deafening atmosphere, Braga adopted a highly cautious approach.
The Primeira Liga side sat deep in a rigid defensive block, rarely venturing across the halfway line in the opening exchanges.
Aston Villa immediately seized control.
Less than five minutes in, Theodore received a pass from John McGinn in the center circle.
The moment the ball touched his boot, the noise inside Villa Park surged, the crowd anticipating magic.
"Theodore Bjorn on the ball," the commentator noted over the broadcast. "He looks up, scans the pitch... and sweeps it out wide."
Theodore pinged a sharp pass to his best mate on the left flank.
Grealish killed the ball and immediately isolated Braga defender Wenderson Galeno!
After throwing a couple of step-overs, Grealish tried to cut inside onto his right foot—his trademark move—but Braga midfielder Fransérgio rushed over to double-team him, blocking the lane.
Forced down the line, Grealish whipped a left-footed cross into the box.
Thump!
The delivery sailed toward the far post.
Wesley and Braga center-back Bruno Viana launched themselves into the air simultaneously.
The Brazilian striker couldn't get over the ball, and Viana managed to head it out over the byline.
"Corner to Aston Villa!" the commentator announced.
Down on the touchline, Braga head coach Ricardo Sá Pinto looked terrified.
He leapt out of his technical area, screaming frantically at his defenders.
Sá Pinto had spent the entire week studying tape of Aston Villa, and the footage of Theodore's aerial dominance was burned into his brain.
"Mark the teenager!" Sá Pinto roared in Portuguese. "Do not let him jump! One man isn't enough! Put two on him! Double-team the kid!"
Hearing their manager's frantic orders, the Braga defense didn't dare hesitate.
Bruno Viana and defensive midfielder João Palhinha both rushed over, forming a human cage around Theodore near the penalty spot.
During the corner, every other Villa player was marked man-to-man, Theodore alone commanded a double-team.
Grealish trotted over to the flag.
He raised his right arm, signaling the play, and whipped a vicious, in-swinging cross into the mixer!
Thwack!
The ball soared toward the heart of the Braga penalty area.
Chaos erupted in the box as attackers darted to lose their markers and defenders grappled to hold their lines.
The cross dropped dead center!
And Theodore was already airborne.
"Bjorn rises highest!" the commentator yelled.
Despite being flanked by Viana and Palhinha, Theodore's elite reading of the flight path allowed him to step in front of both men.
He launched himself into the air, hanging for a split second before snapping his head violently through the ball!
"GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!"
"Inside five minutes, Aston Villa strike first in Europe! A towering header from Theodore Bjorn thunders the net! One-nil to Villa!"