As a transmigrator, Theodore Bjorn naturally knew what would happen after Haaland joined Manchester City.
In his first season, Haaland would tear through the Premier League like a force of nature.
Goals would come in ridiculous numbers, records would fall, and the English media would crown him as the final piece in Guardiola's machine.
But once he entered his second season, the problems would begin to show.
In big matches, especially against elite teams and in the Champions League, Haaland would often drift out of the game.
He would still score plenty against weaker opponents, but when the stage grew heavier and the margins grew tighter, he would struggle to impose himself.
Under Guardiola's system, he would frequently find himself isolated, waiting in the box while City circulated the ball endlessly around the edge of the area.
Sometimes, he would go long stretches without service, cut off from the rhythm of the team.
In terms of tactical fit, he might not even suit Guardiola's football as naturally as "the Little Spider," Álvarez.
After comforting Haaland, Theodore quietly walked over to Bellingham.
The seventeen-year-old English wonderkid was lying on the ground, crying.
Clearly, Bellingham blamed himself deeply for what had happened tonight.
After all, Theodore's winning goal in the final moments had come after he stole the ball from Bellingham's feet.
"Hey," Theodore said softly, stopping beside him. "You all right?"
He reached out with his right hand and pulled Bellingham up from the grass.
Then he looked at him and said, "You don't need to blame yourself too much. This is the price you pay while growing into the player you're meant to become."
Bellingham lowered his head, still struggling to control his emotions.
"You're strong, your technique is good, and you've got courage," Theodore continued. "I believe the future belongs to you."
Receiving praise from his idol clearly eased Bellingham's mood. His eyes were still red, but the heaviness in his face faded a little.
"Theodore," Bellingham said, his voice still rough, "even though we lost, I'm really happy I got to play against you. In the next leg, at the Bernabéu, we'll definitely win."
Theodore knew very well that such a thing was impossible.
But he still smiled.
"Good luck."
After that, Theodore and Bellingham exchanged shirts.
...
At the post-match press conference, Dortmund head coach Terzić seemed to turn completely into one of Theodore's admirers.
Throughout the interview, he could not stop praising Theodore's performance.
"He is the most talented young player I have ever seen," Terzić said. "He is only nineteen, even younger than Erling Haaland, but he plays with the game intelligence of a veteran. He knows exactly when to push, when to slow down, when to draw pressure, and when to kill the match."
The Dortmund coach gave a helpless smile.
"Over the next ten years, I believe Theodore is fully capable of dominating both the Ballon d'Or and The Best FIFA Men's Player awards. If he continues like this, it will be very difficult for anyone else to catch him."
When asked about the second leg, Terzić's expression became more serious.
"In one week, we will go to the Bernabéu. With Dortmund's current strength, beating Real Madrid away from home will be extremely difficult, but I believe every player will give everything. We made mistakes tonight, but we also showed that we can hurt them."
...
After hearing Terzić praise Theodore so heavily, Zidane returned the courtesy by speaking highly of Bellingham.
It seemed football people were not immune to polite exchanges either.
"Bellingham impressed me deeply tonight," Zidane said. "Watching him play reminded me a little of myself when I was young."
The Madrid coach did not hide his admiration.
"In the first half, we struggled to limit him. He is only seventeen, but he already plays with confidence, personality, and real quality. He made mistakes, yes, but all young players do. I believe it will not be long before Bellingham becomes a world-class star."
...
After the press conference ended, the German media gave the match extensive coverage.
Theodore had produced a staggering performance: a hat-trick, one assist, and an 88th-minute winner at the Westfalenstadion.
Even the German press, which had spent the first half celebrating Dortmund's fearless young team, had no choice but to bow to his brilliance.
📰 Bild Sport: Theodore Destroys the Yellow Wall! Nineteen-Year-Old Norwegian Scores Three and Assists One in Madrid's Miracle Comeback!
📰 Kicker: From 3–0 Down to 4–3 Glory! Theodore's 88th-Minute Thunderbolt Silences the Westfalenstadion!
📰 Sport1: Dortmund's Dream Turns Into a Nightmare — Theodore Bjorn Delivers a Ballon d'Or-Level Statement in Germany!
📰 Der Spiegel Sport: Bellingham Shines, Haaland Scores, Reus Stuns — But Theodore Owns the Night!
📰 Sky Germany: Real Madrid Escape Dortmund Chaos as Theodore Produces One of the Great Champions League Comebacks!
📰 Ruhr Nachrichten: Terzić's Young Dortmund Nearly Shock Europe, Only to Be Broken by Theodore's Genius!
...
That night, the Real Madrid squad took a flight back to Madrid.
Next, they had to return their focus to La Liga.
On March 1, at the Bernabéu, Real Madrid welcomed Real Sociedad.
Because Madrid still had to host the second leg against Dortmund after this match, Zidane did not send out his strongest lineup in the league. S
everal main players were rested, and the rhythm of the team was far less fluid than usual.
Even so, Madrid still found a way to win.
In the 86th minute, Rodrygo scored the only goal of the match, helping Real Madrid narrowly beat Real Sociedad 1–0.
Three days later, on March 3, Real Madrid welcomed Dortmund to the Bernabéu for the second leg.
This time, Terzić chose an extremely aggressive 4-2-4 formation.
He sent out four forwards from the start, clearly hoping to overwhelm Madrid through attacking numbers and chase the tie with everything Dortmund had left.
Unfortunately, once Real Madrid returned to their home ground, they were composed to the point of cruelty.
Madrid gave Dortmund very few genuine chances.
Terzić's four-forward gamble failed to create sustained pressure, while Real Madrid repeatedly punished the spaces Dortmund left behind through defensive counterattacks.
After ninety minutes, Real Madrid beat Dortmund 3–0.
It was worth mentioning that all three Madrid goals were assisted by Theodore.
In the end, Real Madrid eliminated Dortmund 7–3 on aggregate and successfully reached the Champions League quarterfinals.
Their opponent in the next round would be an old rival.
Liverpool.
Liverpool had eliminated Leipzig 4–0 on aggregate in the previous round.
The first leg between Real Madrid and Liverpool would be held on April 7.
For the time being, however, Madrid could shift their focus back to La Liga.
Before they knew it, March 9 arrived.
Real Madrid traveled to the Cívitas Metropolitano to face Atlético Madrid.
In the first meeting between the two sides this season, Madrid had crushed their city rivals 6–2 at home.
This time, Simeone naturally wanted revenge.
But Madrid's players were extremely composed throughout the match.
Especially Theodore.
In this game, Theodore played as the lone striker.
In less than fifteen minutes, he completed a headed hat-trick inside Atlético's penalty area.
Savić and Felipe, Atlético's two center-backs, had no answer for him at all.
They could wrestle, lean, block, and fight for position, but the moment the ball came into the box, Theodore's timing and leap made him impossible to contain.
After Madrid established a three-goal lead early, Zidane immediately began stabilizing the defense.
As everyone knew, Simeone's team were not especially good at breaking down a settled low block.
Once Madrid dropped deeper and tightened the spaces, Atlético had almost no real solution.
They could only keep trying long-range shots from outside the box.
The result was poor.
Most of those attempts flew into the stands.
After ninety minutes, Real Madrid relied on Theodore's hat-trick to beat Atlético by three goals at the Metropolitano.
With that, they claimed their twenty-sixth straight league win.
The unstoppable Real Madrid returned to the Bernabéu on March 13.
This time, their opponent was Elche.
When Madrid had played Elche away from home earlier in the season, they had thrashed them 5–0, with Theodore scoring four goals by himself.
Now, back at the Bernabéu, Madrid were even more ruthless.
7–1!
A complete demolition.
Theodore scored four goals again, and on top of that, he provided two assists.
Only Benzema's penalty had nothing to do with him. The other six Madrid goals were all either scored or created by Theodore.
Real Madrid's final opponent in March was Celta Vigo.
Although it was an away match, Zidane's side still displayed terrifying attacking momentum.
Less than fifteen minutes after kickoff, Theodore Bjorn and Benzema had both scored.
Madrid quickly established a two-goal lead.
Celta, playing at home, did not choose to fight Madrid head-on.
They knew very well how frightening this Real Madrid side had become. If they recklessly attacked, the score might not stop at 2–0.
They might be torn apart completely.
That was naturally not the result Celta's fans wanted to see.
So for the rest of the match, Celta spent almost the entire time sitting deep and defending.
By the time the final whistle sounded, the score was still 2–0.
After entering April, the season reached its final sprint.
For Real Madrid, aside from La Liga, they still had the Copa del Rey and the Champions League to deal with.
From this point onward, playing twice a week would become the norm.