After the match, the Aston Villa staff wheeled out a massive 50-inch cake in the dressing room.
Perched on top was a detailed figurine wearing the Villa No. 33 jersey, holding a miniature Ballon d'Or trophy.
The club hoped this gesture would symbolize Theodore's future success in winning the prestigious award.
Jack Grealish personally placed 18 candles on the cake, produced a lighter, and lit them.
"Theo, come make a wish quickly!"
Grealish shoved the teenager in front of the cake while Wesley secretly flicked off the dressing room lights to set the mood.
Theodore clasped his hands together, silently made a wish, and blew out all 18 candles in one breath.
The moment the final flame went out, Grealish swiftly grabbed a massive handful of frosting and smeared it directly across Theodore's face.
Chaos erupted.
Soon, the entire squad joined in, covering the teenager in cake!
...
Theodore spent a full half-hour scrubbing the frosting out of his hair in the showers.
When he finally returned home and checked his phone, he found it flooded with notifications.
First was a message from Reba.
[Happy Birthday, big star! I hope you score in every match. As for your gift, I'll give it to you when we finally meet!]
Shortly after, Laura Woods also sent a text.
[Theodore, happy 18th! Wishing you and the team success in winning the Premier League title. Keep it up!]
Alongside the messages from the two beauties, Theodore received countless well-wishes from his former teammates at the Bodymoor Heath academy.
The support warmed his heart.
After replying to the texts, Theodore made a video call to his parents.
It was his birthday, and he wanted to thank them.
"Dad, what are you guys up to?" he asked when Dongguo answered.
In the video frame, Dongguo was munching on a cucumber.
"Woke up hungry, grabbed a snack from the fridge. Why aren't you asleep? Didn't the game end a while ago?"
His father's response suggested he had completely forgotten what day it was.
"I just got home," Theodore sighed. "Dad, do you know what day it is?"
Dongguo looked puzzled. "What day? It's December 16th. Why?"
Theodore shook his head helplessly. "Dad, you forgot your own son's birthday. 1 star review for your parenting."
"Huh? Today is your birthday?" Dongguo blurted out. "Isn't your birthday on November 23rd? That's still two days away!"
"Oh, right. Haha, my mistake," Dongguo laughed, covering his embarrassment.
"Your mom and I are flying to England the day after tomorrow. We'll make dumplings!"
"Great! Thanks, Dad."
...
The next morning, Theodore arrived early at the Bodymoor Heath training ground.
However, due to Wesley picking up an injury against Liverpool, Dean Smith immediately assigned Theodore to the striker position during the tactical drills.
Barring any late changes, Theodore would start up top against Southampton.
Truthfully, Theodore preferred operating in the midfield engine room, where he could dictate the tempo.
But he was a team player, if Dean Smith needed him to lead the line, he would do it without complaint.
At 6:00 PM, after the session concluded, Smith brought Theodore along to the pre-match press conference.
The first manager to face the media glare was Southampton's Ralph Hasenhüttl.
The Austrian boasted extensive experience across Ligue 1, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League.
Under his guidance, the Saints were performing admirably, currently sitting 9th in the table, having recorded three wins and five draws in their last eight matches.
Perhaps emboldened by their recent form, Hasenhüttl didn't seem to afford Aston Villa the respect usually reserved for league leaders.
"Aston Villa is undoubtedly the dark horse of the season," he declared openly. "It is incredible that they have achieved 17 consecutive wins. However, I regret to inform their players that the streak ends tomorrow."
Camera flashes erupted throughout the press room as journalists scribbled down the explosive quote.
"We are giant-killers," Hasenhüttl continued. "This season, we have beaten Arsenal away, defeated Tottenham, and drawn with Manchester United. When facing the top teams, we perform at our best. We are fully prepared to defeat Aston Villa. I am very much looking forward to tomorrow."
Sitting at the side table, both Dean Smith and Theodore exchanged a look of clear disdain.
When it was Smith's turn at the microphone, the Villa boss fired back.
"Southampton is in 9th place. We are at the summit. Furthermore, we haven't lost a single match this season. In my view, Villa and Southampton are simply not on the same level. We will ensure they recognize their shortcomings tomorrow."
As the player representative, Theodore was asked for his thoughts on Hasenhüttl's comments.
"I admire Mr. Hasenhüttl's courage," Theodore replied coolly. "However, I believe that when the final whistle blows tomorrow, he will regret saying those things today."
As the press conference concluded and Theodore was preparing to leave, Laura Woods suddenly approached him.
"Theodore, happy birthday!" she smiled warmly. "This is for you."
She pulled a custom pair of carbon-fiber shin guards from her bag.
Theodore looked surprised. "Wow. I don't think a girl has ever given me shin guards before."
Laura Woods explained, "You're the best midfielder in the Premier League, valued at over 100 million. I couldn't figure out what you could possibly need, but after thinking about it, shin guards seemed fitting."
She pointed to the designs. "One has your Norway number 16, the other your Villa number 33. Do you like them?"
"I love them. Thank you."
...
Match day.
Villa Park was surrounded by a sea of claret and blue long before kickoff.
Hasenhüttl's explosive pre-match comments had deeply irritated the Villa faithful.
Thousands of fans packed the stadium, eager to see their team teach the Austrian manager a lesson in humility.
Theodore's parents arrived at 7:00 PM.
Since Theodore was already warming up on the pitch, he had asked Laura to escort them to their seats in the VIP section.
She gladly agreed, arriving at the stadium entrance early to greet them.
Once they were settled, Dongguo began snapping photos of the pitch with his phone.
"Dongguo, put the phone down for a second," Marianne Bjorn said, leaning in. "What do you think of that girl, Laura?"
Dongguo looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"I think she and our Theo make a good match," she whispered. "She's beautiful and very polite."
Dongguo nodded slowly. "She seems nice. But we should leave those things to him, we shouldn't interfere. Besides, he's young."
"He's not that young. He's eighteen now!"
...
At 7:30 PM, the teams lined up in the tunnel.
In the Sky Sports studio, Peter Drury and Gary Neville analyzed the upcoming clash.
"Welcome to Villa Park for Matchday 18 of the Premier League," Drury began. "Aston Villa host Southampton in a match that could make history."
"Let's look at the lineups," Neville said. "Dean Smith has set Villa up in a 4-1-4-1."
"Tom Heaton in goal."
"A back four of Frédéric Guilbert, Björn Engels, Kortney Hause, and Matt Targett."
"Marvelous Nakamba anchors the midfield."
"A bank of four ahead of him: John McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Conor Hourihane, and Jack Grealish."
"And playing as the lone striker tonight, Theodore Bjorn!"
"That is a massive tactical shift," Drury noted. "Theodore Bjorn making his first-ever appearance as a center forward. Dean Smith clearly wants his elite finishing ability closer to the goal."
"As for Southampton, Ralph Hasenhüttl goes with a traditional 4-4-2," Neville continued.
"Alex McCarthy in goal."
"Ryan Bertrand, Jan Bednarek, Jack Stephens, and Cédric Soares across the back."
"Nathan Redmond, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, James Ward-Prowse, and Stuart Armstrong in midfield."
"With Danny Ings and Shane Long up top."
"Aston Villa are on a 17-game winning streak," Drury reminded the viewers. "If they win tonight, they equal Manchester City's record for the longest winning streak in Premier League history."
The referee blew the whistle, and the match commenced.
Operating as a striker, Theodore didn't just linger on the shoulder of the last defender.
He immediately dropped deep, laying the ball off to McGinn and orchestrating play from the false-nine position.
For the opening minute, Villa's shape resembled a strikerless system, pulling the Southampton center-backs out of position.
A minute later, the ball found its way back to Theodore's feet in the center circle.
This time, he didn't lay it off. He turned and violently accelerated.
The sudden burst of speed caught the Southampton midfield completely off guard.
Højbjerg and Ward-Prowse scrambled to close the gap, converging on him rapidly.
Drawing the double-team, Theodore decisively slipped a pass out wide to Grealish on the left flank.
The moment the ball left his boot, Theodore spun and launched a dead sprint straight into the penalty area.
Receiving the pass, Grealish didn't take a touch.
He looked up and whipped a perfect 45-degree cross into the box.
He had absolute faith in Theodore's aerial dominance. Grealish knew that if he put the ball in the right area, the teenager would finish it.
In front of goal, Bednarek and Stephens recognized the danger.
As Theodore surged into the box, the two Saints center-backs collapsed on him, sandwiching the teenager in a physical double-team.
They grappled, pulled, and leaned heavily, doing everything in their power to disrupt his jump.
It didn't matter.
With a 100 Heading attribute, Theodore was an unstoppable force in the air. He overpowered both defenders, rising majestically to meet the cross.
With a brutal flick of his neck, he sent the ball flashing toward the net like lightning.
The power and placement were absolute. McCarthy dived, but the ball was past him before he could fully extend his arms.
"HE SCORES!" Drury roared. "Less than three minutes in, and Theodore Bjorn breaks the deadlock!"
"Playing up front, he is an absolute monster! He crushes the double-team to bury that header!"
"1-0 to Aston Villa!"
Theodore sprinted to the corner flag, unleashing his signature left hook celebration.
The Villa Park crowd went wild.
The broadcast cameras immediately cut to Ralph Hasenhüttl.
The Austrian manager, who had boldly predicted the end of Villa's streak just 24 hours prior, stood with his hands in his pockets, looking stunned.
Three minutes in, and his game plan was already in tatters.
After the restart, the Southampton players, stung by the early goal, tried to respond quickly.
Unfortunately, their urgency only led to their downfall.
Aston Villa maintained a suffocating high press.
When Danny Ings received the ball near the edge of the Villa penalty area, Engels and Hause snapped the trap shut.
The two center-backs executed a synchronized, aggressive tackle, stripping the striker of the ball instantly.
Douglas Luiz scooped up the loose ball.
Spotting McGinn in acres of space on the right flank, Luiz pinged a precise pass to the Scotsman.
McGinn didn't hesitate.
He looked up and immediately launched a booming long ball straight over the top of the Southampton midfield.
When you have an aerial super-weapon like Theodore Bjorn leading the line, the tactical approach can afford to be direct.
As long as the ball was delivered into the opponent's penalty area, it guaranteed chaos.
Though simple, the tactic was devastatingly effective!
---------
Read 30 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator