"Barcelona have been in excellent form in La Liga recently, having already won six straight matches," Rob Palmer's voice cut through the international broadcast.
"Coming to the Bernabéu tonight, Barcelona will naturally be aiming to make it seven and snatch first place."
"However, Real Madrid's recent domestic form has been just as outstanding," Terry Gibson added.
"Like Barcelona, Madrid also boast a flawless six-win record in La Liga, and thanks to their superior goal difference—largely fueled by their new teenager—they currently sit at the summit."
"Let's review the Real Madrid lineup," Palmer continued. "Zinedine Zidane has gone with his preferred 4-3-3 formation."
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois.
Back Four: Ferland Mendy, Raphaël Varane, Éder Militão, and Dani Carvajal.
Midfield Three: Theodore Bjorn, Luka Modrić, and Toni Kroos.
Front Three: Vinícius Jr., Karim Benzema, and Rodrygo.
Once the starting XIs were confirmed, the referee raised his whistle.
Peep!
El Clásico was underway.
Real Madrid kicked off.
Karim Benzema tapped the ball back to Modrić, who circulated it deeper into the midfield. Before long, it arrived at the feet of Theodore Bjorn.
The exact moment Theodore took his first touch in an El Clásico, the atmosphere inside the Santiago Bernabéu spiked to a deafening crescendo.
Over eighty thousand Madridistas roared, chanting the teenager's name.
Sensing the threat, Barcelona immediately initiated a coordinated press to disrupt Theodore's rhythm.
Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong aggressively stepped up, attempting to sandwich him.
However, Theodore did not attempt a reckless dribble.
Showing composure far beyond his years, he calmly shifted his body weight and rolled a simple, progressive pass into the open space, finding Toni Kroos.
Kroos didn't hesitate.
With a single touch, the German maestro threaded a laser-guided diagonal pass, sending the ball instantly toward Vinícius on the left wing.
"Real Madrid attack immediately!" Palmer noted. "Vinícius receives the ball. Dest is isolated against him!"
"He knocks it forward!"
"Vinícius turns on the afterburners! He's completely shaken off Dest with sheer pace!"
As Vinícius reached the byline, he whipped a rapid cross into the Barcelona penalty area.
At that moment, Karim Benzema was already locked in a fierce physical battle with Gerard Piqué.
Near the penalty spot, the two veterans launched themselves into the air simultaneously.
Relying on his height and aerial prowess, Piqué won the duel, powering a strong header clear of the danger zone.
The clearance dropped toward the top of the penalty arc.
Bang!
Luka Modrić, arriving perfectly on time from deep, didn't bother taking a touch. From just outside the box, he pulled his right leg back and unleashed a ferocious, first-time volley.
Clang!
The ball smashed violently against the post, the sound echoing around the stadium, before bouncing to safety.
"Oh, what a strike! Agonizingly close!" Gibson gasped. "Real Madrid, playing at home, come inches away from drawing first blood inside two minutes!"
Immediately after, Marc-André ter Stegen quickly restarted play with a long goal kick.
The ball sailed toward the halfway line. However, Barcelona's attacking line lacked genuine height or aerial dominance.
Theodore easily positioned himself and controlled the dropping ball with his chest.
The moment Theodore brought it down, the Barcelona press swarmed him again.
Pedri, Ansu Fati, and Lionel Messi all converged on him.
Surrounded by three blue-and-red shirts, Theodore remained entirely unfazed.
First, he dropped his shoulder, shaping as if he were going to play a sweeping pass with his left foot.
The instant the Barcelona players extended their legs to block the passing lane, Theodore executed a breathtaking La Croqueta, rapidly tapping the ball from his left foot to his right.
The next second, he engaged his explosive acceleration.
Just like that, he danced out of the three-man trap with almost effortless, humiliating ease.
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Palmer roared. "Theodore Bjorn has just humiliated three Barcelona players, including Lionel Messi!"
The moment Theodore completed the skill, thunderous, awe-struck applause erupted across the Bernabéu.
When nearly eighty-five thousand fans roar in unison, the sheer acoustic force is explosive.
Breaking free of the press, Theodore knocked the ball heavily forward. In an instant, he blew past the recovering Frenkie de Jong.
Suddenly, a vast, terrifying expanse of green grass opened up in front of the teenager.
Theodore did not hesitate. He put his head down and drove forward.
In the blink of an eye, Theodore had charged into the final third.
On the touchline, Ronald Koeman's eyes widened in genuine panic.
The Dutch manager frantically screamed for his defensive line to step up and engage the runner.
The first Barcelona defender to commit was Sergiño Dest.
But it had to be said, the young American full-back's defensive positioning was poor.
Theodore didn't even attempt a complex skill.
He shifted the ball slightly with his left foot, then shoved it violently past Dest's outside shoulder.
Relying purely on his terrifying Bale-esque speed, Theodore tore past Dest as if the defender were standing still.
He stormed into the Barcelona penalty area.
Although Gerard Piqué reacted quickly and scrambled across to cover the space, he was too late.
By the time Piqué arrived to make the block, Theodore had already looked up and dragged a perfectly weighted cutback across the face of the goal.
Bang!
The pass arrived perfectly into the stride of Karim Benzema.
The French marksman did not squander the golden opportunity. He met the ball first time, striking it powerfully with his left foot.
The ball flashed past Ter Stegen's outstretched right hand and slammed into the net.
1–0!
In just the eighth minute, Real Madrid had breached Barcelona's goal!
"BENZEMA!" Palmer bellowed. "Real Madrid draw first blood! Benzema finishes with ease, but that goal is all about Theodore Bjorn!"
"He took the entire Barcelona team on a tour of the Bernabéu! He tore them apart single-handedly!"
On the live comment feeds globally, the internet exploded.
@Madridista_X: "THEODORE IS INSANE!"
@EuroScout: "He just made Messi, Frenkie, and Dest look like training cones. He's not human!"
@Barca_Hub: "Our defense is a joke. Dest got absolutely cooked."
@FootballTalk: "The torch is being passed right before our eyes."
After Real Madrid took the lead, the entire Bernabéu erupted into deafening celebration. Over eighty thousand Madridistas began belting out Hala Madrid.
The atmosphere was electric.
While Benzema celebrated wildly near the corner flag, the international broadcast camera focused tightly on Lionel Messi.
Messi's face was a portrait of pure frustration. He stood with his head bowed, his hands planted firmly on his hips.
It was abundantly clear that the Argentine captain was extremely dissatisfied with how easily his team had been carved open.
Following the restart, Messi was determined to issue a response.
In the 10th minute, Busquets collected the ball in midfield and immediately zipped a pass out to Messi on the right flank.
The instant Messi touched the ball, the eighty thousand Real Madrid fans unleashed a ferocious, deafening chorus of boos.
The Madrid faithful had absolutely zero affection for their eternal tormentor.
The player tasked with defending him was Ferland Mendy.
Although Mendy possessed exceptional physical strength and pace, defending Messi in an isolated 1v1 required a level of tactical experience the Frenchman was still developing.
With a subtle, devastating drop of his shoulder, Messi feinted outside before violently cutting inside onto his lethal left foot.
In a fraction of a second, he beat Mendy and began driving ominously toward the top of the penalty area.
But just as Messi opened his body, preparing to unleash his signature curling strike, a white blur rushed directly into his path.
It was Theodore Bjorn.
This was the first direct physical clash between Messi and Theodore in the match.
Clearly, Messi had not yet grasped the sheer physical dominance of the teenager.
Messi didn't slow down.
He took another rapid, microscopic touch with his left foot, attempting to use his legendary low center of gravity to slip past Theodore's challenge.
It was a fatal miscalculation.
Messi had severely underestimated Theodore's defensive capabilities.
Just as Messi took the touch, Theodore launched himself forward with one explosive step.
Arriving directly in front of the Argentine, Theodore leaned in and delivered a brutal, perfectly legal shoulder charge.
The sheer physical disparity was obvious. Messi was violently knocked off balance, stumbling backward and losing the ball entirely.
The referee, having a clear view of the incident, waved play on immediately.
"A fair, shoulder-to-shoulder challenge!" Gibson noted. "Theodore Bjorn absolutely bullies Messi off the ball! Madrid can counter!"
After knocking Messi off the ball, Theodore didn't pause to admire his work. He instantly looked up and launched a raking, diagonal long ball toward the front line.
Bang!
The pass bypassed the midfield and dropped perfectly at the feet of Rodrygo on the right flank.
Rodrygo controlled it, chopped inside onto his left foot, and fired a rapid shot.
The ball skimmed just over the crossbar.
Rodrygo had rushed the effort.
If he had possessed the composure to look up and square the ball to Benzema, he likely would have created a guaranteed goal!