Theodore's influence was spreading across Europe.
Fans from more countries were beginning to understand his talent.
Yet despite his growing fame, Theodore remained unchanged. His attention was focused entirely on matches and training.
Over the next two weeks, Real Madrid would face consecutive away fixtures.
Their next match was away to Valencia.
At present, Valencia were ranked sixth in La Liga.
Since the new season began, they had not lost a single home match. Their record at Mestalla stood at three wins and one draw.
This would be a major test for Real Madrid. No one in the squad dared to take it lightly.
The day after the Inter Milan match, Zidane organized a training session.
In truth, Theodore remembered this specific fixture well.
In his previous life, Real Madrid had suffered a shocking 4–1 defeat to Valencia in this exact match.
At the time, it was a major upset.
To avoid repeating history, Theodore trained with particular intensity.
...
November 9 arrived.
This was an afternoon match.
At half past three, the players from both sides were ready at Mestalla.
The stadium could hold around fifty-five thousand fans, and the stands were packed.
Valencia had won the league six times and lifted the Copa del Rey eight times.
Before this match, head coach Javi Gracia was full of confidence.
He had boldly declared that Valencia would keep a clean sheet against Real Madrid.
…
"Welcome to the featured match of Round 9 of the 2020–21 La Liga season. Valencia host Real Madrid at Mestalla!" Palmer announced.
"In the last twelve meetings between these two sides, Real Madrid have won six, while Valencia have won two. The remaining four ended in draws," Gibson provided the context.
"Let us look at the starting lineup for Valencia. Head coach Javi Gracia has set his team up in a 4-4-2 formation."
Goalkeeper: Jaume Doménech.
Defenders: Daniel Wass, Gabriel Paulista, Hugo Guillamón, and José Gayà.
Midfielders: Yunus Musah, Carlos Soler, Uroš Račić, and Denis Cheryshev.
Forwards: Lee Kang-in and Maxi Gómez.
"As for Real Madrid, Zidane has sent out the following eleven players."
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois.
Defenders: Lucas Vázquez, Raphaël Varane, Sergio Ramos, and Marcelo.
Midfielders: Luka Modrić and Theodore Bjorn.
Attacking Midfielders: Vinícius Jr., Martin Ødegaard, and Eden Hazard.
Forward: Karim Benzema.
The moment Palmer finished introducing the lineups, the comments on the live streams surged.
"Come on, Real Madrid! Win this!"
"Lee Kang-in is starting. They call him the future of Asian football! Theodore will handle him."
"Isn't Lee Kang-in supposed to be a massive talent? Let's see what he can do against Madrid's midfield."
…
Peep!
Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz blew the whistle to start the match.
Real Madrid kicked off.
The fans in the Mestalla stands created a hostile atmosphere.
Every time a Real Madrid player received the ball, boos rang out from the home crowd.
Valencia's players played with fierce intensity. The moment Modrić received the ball, Carlos Soler slid in from behind and brought him down.
Referee Mateu Lahoz did not blow the whistle. Play continued.
Valencia won possession, and the next second, midfielder Yunus Musah got the ball.
Musah possessed excellent dribbling ability.
A great counterattacking chance for Valencia!
After taking control of the ball, Yunus Musah carried it toward the right flank.
He knocked it forward, trying to use a change of rhythm to break past Marcelo.
But Marcelo was far too experienced. He had already seen through Musah's intention.
Marcelo slid in early with his left foot.
Musah went down, and this time referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz blew his whistle.
He immediately showed Marcelo a yellow card.
"A yellow card! Less than three minutes into the match, and Marcelo has already been booked. That is not a good sign for Real Madrid," Rob Palmer noted.
"Indeed," Terry Gibson agreed. "Marcelo's tackle was almost exactly the same as Valencia's challenge on Modrić just a moment ago. That really shouldn't have been a card."
On the global live feeds, plenty of Real Madrid fans were already accusing Lahoz of biased refereeing.
But no matter what, Valencia had won a set-piece opportunity.
Lee Kang-in came over to take it himself. However, this free kick was far from goal, close to the touchline.
A direct shot was impossible. It could only be a delivery.
Before taking it, Lee Kang-in raised his right hand.
He whipped in a quick left-footed cross. The ball curled through the air in a wide arc before flying into the penalty area.
Lee Kang-in's target was not striker Maxi Gómez, but midfielder Uroš Račić. Račić stood at 193 centimeters tall and had an imposing frame.
His heading ability was excellent.
He was similar to Nemanja Matić or Marouane Fellaini.
At the far post, Račić outmuscled Sergio Ramos and powered a header toward goal.
Fortunately, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois reacted quickly. He punched the ball away with one fist.
But the second ball was once again controlled by a Valencia player.
"Valencia, playing at home, are laying siege to Real Madrid!" Palmer announced. "Madrid are under pressure early!"
At that moment, the player who received the ball in midfield was Carlos Soler.
Soler had excellent dribbling and passing ability.
After a quick glance toward the penalty area, he once again sent the ball toward Račić's head.
Having learned from the previous sequence, Real Madrid did not allow Račić another free header.
This time, Theodore Bjorn, the strongest aerial presence in the Madrid side, personally marked him.
Although Theodore was not as tall as Račić, his judgment of the ball's flight, leaping ability, and core strength were superior.
In the end, Theodore beat Račić in the air and cleared the ball first.
This time, the second ball was controlled by a Real Madrid player.
After Martin Ødegaard won the ball on the left side of the penalty area, he launched it forward toward Eden Hazard on the left wing.
Real Madrid counterattacked.
The Belgian star carried the ball down the left flank.
However, because of his ongoing fitness struggles, his pace could no longer compare to his peak years.
Before long, Valencia's defenders had caught up.
Full-back Daniel Wass was quick.
He rushed to Hazard's side and took the initiative, leaning into Hazard with his body to slow him down.
Aside from Wass, another Valencia defender, Gabriel Paulista, moved in front of Hazard.
Seeing that he was about to be trapped in a double-team, Hazard hesitated.
In truth, if Hazard's speed and fitness were still at their peak, he would have had the confidence to break through both defenders.
Unfortunately, times had changed.
The Hazard of today had lost that sharpness in his dribbling.
At this moment, his best choice was to pass.
He laid the ball off, and it arrived at Ødegaard's feet.
Tonight, Ødegaard was playing as the central attacking midfielder, so he received the ball right at the edge of the penalty area.
Ødegaard had the ability to shoot from range.
But just as he prepared to strike, Valencia center-back Hugo Guillamón charged in front of him.
Ødegaard's shot was blocked by Guillamón's body.
In the Mestalla stands, more than fifty thousand Valencia fans cheered when they saw Ødegaard's shot blocked.
Some of the supporters began mocking Ødegaard, trying to affect the mentality of the Madrid players.
Reality proved that Valencia's fans had succeeded.
Over the next few minutes, Ødegaard had another shooting chance near the edge of the penalty area.
Although this time he managed to get his shot away cleanly, his effort flew high into the stands.
"Mestalla truly deserves its reputation as one of La Liga's most hostile grounds," Gibson noted.
"Whenever a Real Madrid player controls the ball, the Valencia fans in the stands erupt into waves of boos."
The match reached the 15th minute.
At that moment, the player carrying the ball forward was Valencia's midfield core, Carlos Soler.
Modrić and Ødegaard rushed toward Soler at the same time, trying to win the ball. Soler remained calm.
The instant the two Real Madrid players closed in on him, Soler played a square pass.
The ball arrived at Denis Cheryshev's feet.
The Russian winger had a strong presence down the flank.
Cheryshev took the initiative and drove toward the opposing penalty area.
Seeing this, Real Madrid full-back Lucas Vázquez quickly rushed in front of him.
But Cheryshev used his physical advantage. Out wide, he pushed Vázquez aside.
Before long, Cheryshev reached the area near Real Madrid's byline.
At the same time, Valencia midfielder Račić charged into Madrid's penalty area.
Together with Lee Kang-in and Maxi Gómez, there were now three Valencia players ready to attack the delivery.
Seeing that his teammates were in position, Cheryshev crossed the ball.
The ball flew quickly toward the near post.
Perhaps because he had not controlled the delivery properly, Cheryshev sent the ball toward Lee Kang-in.
Lee Kang-in was only a little over 170 centimeters tall.
Asking him to contest a header against Real Madrid's center-backs was difficult!
However, when Lee Kang-in received the ball this time, there was unexpectedly no Real Madrid player around him applying pressure.