Mundo Deportivo: "Another supernova shines bright! A 17-year-old Norwegian teenager tops the Premier League scoring charts with sharp finishing! Moreover, his assist count is number one in the Premier League!"
Marca: "The next Ballon d'Or contender! Aston Villa's midfielder Theodore Bjorn single-handedly defeated the unstoppable Manchester City in the Premier League tonight! Guardiola praised him after the match as the strongest 17-year-old player ever!"
Gazzetta dello Sport: "Norwegian football is on the rise! Haaland, Ødegaard, plus Aston Villa's midfield maestro Theodore Bjorn! This player scored four goals against Manchester City in ninety minutes! Tonight, all of Europe is talking about Theodore Bjorn!"
France Football: "The newly promoted team defeated the defending champions 5-3 at the Etihad, and the key to Aston Villa's victory lies in the performance of a 17-year-old. This Norwegian player achieved 4 goals and 1 assist in this match, contributing to all five goals!"
Kicker: "The 17-year-old Theodore Bjorn is setting a new record for the highest market value among players born in the 2000s! A price tag of 85 million euros makes the future of this youngster limitless!"
...
Iberian Peninsula, Madrid.
After watching the Manchester City vs. Aston Villa match, Real Madrid's president Florentino Pérez contacted the club's head coach, Zinedine Zidane.
Half an hour later, Zidane arrived at Florentino's office.
"What do you think of this 17-year-old midfielder from Aston Villa?" Florentino asked Zidane.
"Just as Guardiola said in the post-match press conference, he is the most talented midfielder in European and even world football right now. He will be the next Ballon d'Or winner."
After hearing Zidane's response, Florentino nodded.
"In that case, the club will initiate the transfer process. I will use all my resources to bring Theodore Bjorn to the Bernabéu."
Zidane looked at the Real Madrid president with delight. "That would be wonderful! If Theodore Bjorn can join Real Madrid, we will have no rivals in La Liga or the Champions League."
As the head coach of Real Madrid, Zidane desired a talented player like Theodore Bjorn.
However, Real Madrid's pursuit of Theodore Bjorn would not be an easy task.
In Germany, Bayern Munich had held a board meeting and discussed plans to sign Theodore Bjorn.
Clubs like Paris Saint-Germain in France and the two Manchester giants in the Premier League were all eyeing Theodore Bjorn covetously.
Nevertheless, Theodore Bjorn himself was unaware of the interest from these top clubs.
Of course, he had no intention of leaving the team this season.
[Congrats, Theodore! You played amazingly tonight! The commentators kept praising you the whole time I was watching the match! And you know what? Social media back home is all talking about you!! Congratulations, you're trending again!]
This was a WeChat message sent to Theodore by Dilraba.
The message was sent shortly after the match ended. Due to his busy schedule post-game, he hadn't had a chance to check his phone.
[Thank you! Wishing you a bright future on your acting path as well,] Theodore replied.
Unexpectedly, Dilraba initiated a video call with him.
"Wow! Big soccer star, you're so arrogant now! I waited three hours for your reply! Hmph!"
Hearing her words, Theodore responded, "I've been swamped and didn't get to check my phone. How have you been lately?"
The last time Theodore and Dilraba met was when he returned to China for a sneaker signing event.
Back then, they went out for bullfrog hotpot and watched an Avengers movie together.
"Same as usual! Oh! I have some good news to share!" Dilraba told Theodore. "I might be going to London next week! You have to invite me to watch you play live then!"
Theodore checked the schedule.
Next weekend, Aston Villa would be hosting the formidable Liverpool at home.
"Sure, no problem. Next weekend we're playing Liverpool at home. They're third in the league, so it should be a thrilling match."
"It's a deal!"
Dilraba didn't keep Theodore on the video call for too long.
She understood that he had finished an intense match and needed rest more than anything.
...
The next day.
The skies over Birmingham were clear and sunny.
Due to the intense match between Aston Villa and Manchester City the night before, Dean Smith focused today's training session on recovery.
Three days later, Aston Villa would face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the EFL Cup Round of 16.
Dean Smith was confident about this match.
His team was on a 10-game winning streak in the Premier League and had defeated the reigning champions, Manchester City, away from home.
They were in peak form.
However, Dean Smith didn't plan to field the strongest lineup against Wolves. Instead, he opted for a mix of starters and substitutes.
After the Wolves match, Aston Villa would host Liverpool at home.
Sitting third in the Premier League, Liverpool were direct title rivals for Aston Villa.
Thus, the match against Liverpool was far more important than the EFL Cup clash with Wolves.
...
October 31, 2019.
Villa Park was ready, with both Aston Villa and Wolves' starting players in position.
Theodore Bjorn was not in the starting lineup; he was on the bench, ready if needed.
Once the match began, the home side came out strong.
Midfielders Conor Hourihane and Douglas Luiz supplied forward El Ghazi with plenty of opportunities, and the latter didn't disappoint the Villa fans in attendance.
In the 13th minute, El Ghazi beat the offside trap and found himself one-on-one with the Wolves goalkeeper.
He slotted the ball into the far corner, giving Aston Villa the lead.
Wolves didn't sit back after conceding. They launched a fierce offensive in the following minutes.
Patrick Cutrone was active, but Aston Villa's defenders were experienced and did not give the opponents many good shooting opportunities.
The score remained 1-0 until halftime.
After entering the second half, the match was evenly contested for a while.
At the crucial moment, Dean Smith brought on two key players, McGinn and Grealish.
It is undeniable that Aston Villa's starters were stronger than the substitutes.
Within less than ten minutes, McGinn and Grealish each scored a goal, ending the suspense.
The final score of the match was locked at 3-0. Playing at home, Aston Villa secured the victory, advancing to the quarterfinals of the EFL Cup.
After this match, Aston Villa began preparing in full force for the showdown against Liverpool.
Liverpool had achieved a record of 7 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in their first 10 matches, placing them third in the Premier League standings.
The gap between Liverpool and Aston Villa was 7 points.
This gap is still significant.
For Liverpool playing away, if they want to win the Premier League title this season, they must secure a victory in this match.
Even before the Aston Villa vs. Liverpool showdown began, fans from both sides had started hurling insults at each other online.
On England's largest sports forum, the space was filled with heated arguments between Liverpool and Villa fans.
"Villa will defeat Liverpool! I believe the team has the ability to do so!"
"That's right! Villa can beat Manchester City away, so they have the ability to defeat Liverpool at home!"
"Although Klopp is a great coach in the Premier League, we have Theodore Bjorn!"
"Villa fans, stop showing off! Liverpool will teach you a lesson in this match!"
"Villa is confident for sure! Defeating Liverpool? That's the funniest thing I've heard all year!"
"Liverpool is not Manchester City! We won't lose by five goals to a newly promoted team!"
"Aston Villa is lucky! In the next match, Liverpool will make you feel the harsh reality of Premier League football!"
"Who is Theodore? Is he better than Salah?"
"Van Dijk will make Theodore Bjorn feel hopeless in the match!"
...
On the day before the match, during the routine pre-match press conference, Klopp didn't give a lengthy speech to the reporters.
He stated that his team would do their best to secure a victory at Villa Park.
Klopp is a pragmatic coach.
To some extent, Klopp and Guardiola are similar in this regard. They only want to focus on tactics and have no interest in showcasing their oratory skills at press conferences.
...
Match day.
Aston Villa fans had crowded the area around Villa Park early on, making it impassable.
Without a doubt, this match against Liverpool would be a sell-out.
Around the stadium, it wasn't just Aston Villa fans, there were some Liverpool supporters.
Liverpool's anthem is called "You'll Never Walk Alone," so no matter where Liverpool plays, there are die-hard fans following the team to away matches.
When Dilraba arrived in Birmingham, it was 6:00 PM.
Since Theodore Bjorn was conducting pitch familiarization training inside Villa Park at the time, he had no opportunity to deliver the tickets to her.
Left with no choice, Theodore handed the tickets to Ma Fanshu, asking her to pass them on.
An hour later, the players from Liverpool and Aston Villa returned to the dressing rooms for their final preparations.
Meanwhile, in the Sky Sports broadcast booth, Martin Tyler and Alan Smith began introducing the starting lineups for both teams.
"Welcome to all fans tuning in for the Premier League Round 11 marquee match! Aston Villa hosts Liverpool at home," Martin Tyler announced.
"Aston Villa has won all 10 of their matches, sitting at the top of the Premier League table, while their opponents, Liverpool, have 7 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss, placing them third in the standings. There is a 7-point gap between the two teams."
"The starting lineups for both sides have been announced. First up, Aston Villa," Alan Smith took over.
"Dean Smith has opted for a 4-1-4-1 formation, with no changes to the starting lineup compared to the match against Manchester City."
"The goalkeeper is Heaton."
"The four defenders are Targett, Mings, Bjorn Engels, and Guilbert."
"The single defensive midfielder is Nakamba."
"The four attacking players from left to right: Grealish, Douglas Luiz, McGinn, and Theodore Bjorn."
"The striker leading the line is Wesley."
"As for Liverpool, playing away, Klopp has deployed a 4-3-3 starting formation," Tyler continued.
"The goalkeeper is Alisson."
"The backline: Robertson, Van Dijk, Lovren, and Alexander-Arnold."
"The three midfielders: Lallana, Wijnaldum, and Henderson."
"The three forwards: Mané, Firmino, and Salah."
"Another clash of titans is about to begin. Both Dean Smith and Klopp have chosen to field their strongest lineups for this match."
"Indeed, for both teams, tonight's match is one they cannot afford to lose," Alan added.
...
Led by referee Jon Moss, the players from both teams stepped onto the pitch.
In the stands of Villa Park, over forty thousand fans were singing the team anthem, creating an electrifying atmosphere.
Dilraba, wearing sunglasses, sat in the stands behind the goal, right next to the Aston Villa die-hard supporters' section.
The deafening sound of the fans singing the anthem made her feel as if her ears were about to burst.
Although Dilraba was uncomfortable, she tried her best to memorize the lyrics the fans were singing and joined in the chorus with the die-hard supporters.
"Referee Jon Moss blows the whistle to start the match! Aston Villa, playing at home, kicks off first," Tyler announced.
Tyler was eager for this match.
Both teams playing tonight were in phenomenal form.
Second minute.
Aston Villa's attack had threatened Liverpool's goal.
On the left flank, Grealish received the ball and, facing Alexander-Arnold's defense, cut inside.
Grealish was experienced. Before making his move, he initiated a physical challenge with Alexander-Arnold.
At this time, Alexander-Arnold was 21 years old, young, and hailed by fans as Liverpool's "crown prince."
In the current transfer market, Arnold's value had reached 80 million euros.
Reaching 80 million at the age of 21 is astonishing.
In this defensive play, Arnold was careless, allowing Grealish to successfully cut inside.
At the top of the penalty area, Grealish lifted his foot and struck a powerful shot!
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