August 14.
The Real Madrid players took a flight across the ocean to the United States.
Their destination was New York City.
The match would be played at Yankee Stadium, the iconic baseball arena capable of holding around 30,000 spectators and occasionally hosting football matches.
As soon as the squad walked out of the terminal at JFK Airport, a mob scene erupted.
Although football was not the dominant sport in the United States, the global pull of Real Madrid was undeniable.
A conservative estimate put the crowd at several thousand fanatic supporters.
The most popular players were Ramos, Modrić, and Benzema.
A massive throng of American fans surged toward the veterans, waving jerseys and sharpies.
Beside them, Theodore Bjorn's popularity was terrifying.
The crowd surrounding the teenager was equally massive.
There was no time for autographs since the sheer volume of people posed a security risk.
The airport security detail formed a human shield, hustling the stars onto the waiting team buses.
Upon arriving at their luxury hotel in Manhattan, the squad split up.
Some players rested in their rooms, while others changed into designer streetwear and headed out to shop on Fifth Avenue.
Theodore, unfazed by the allure of New York, opted for sleep.
He collapsed onto his hotel bed, preserving his energy.
...
The next day, Real Madrid utilized New York City FC's training ground for their final pre-match preparations.
Zidane's sessions were intense, focusing on full-field scrimmages and grueling physical battles.
During the drills, Theodore and Martin Ødegaard continued their telepathic partnership, buzzing with energy.
Following the afternoon session, assistant Hamidou Msaidie posted the official squad list for the friendly.
Theodore and Ødegaard were both confirmed starters.
At six o'clock in the evening, Zidane brought Theodore to Yankee Stadium for the pre-match press conference.
When they arrived, the media room was occupied.
Ajax manager Erik ten Hag and his star winger, Antony, were fielding questions.
"Mr. Ten Hag," a reporter began. "Will you deploy your strongest starting XI tomorrow against Real Madrid?"
Ten Hag gave a noncommittal shrug. "For Ajax, tomorrow's match is about testing our tactical setup and building fitness. I haven't finalized whether to risk our core starters for a full ninety minutes. But rest assured, Ajax will do our absolute best to win."
A reporter from The New York Times seized the microphone next.
"A question regarding Theodore Bjorn. Real Madrid shattered records by paying €320 million for him this summer. In your professional opinion, is he worth that astronomical price?"
Ten Hag leaned into the microphone, his tone dismissive.
"If I were the manager of Real Madrid, I would never authorize that kind of expenditure on an eighteen-year-old midfielder."
He continued, waving a hand. "Yes, he had a perfect season last year. He helped Villa win the Europa League and the Premier League. But let's remember his age. He is eighteen. He is physically and mentally immature for the rigors of La Liga. It's highly probable that a player of that age playing at that intensity will suffer a significant injury. He might even miss the entire campaign."
Standing backstage, Theodore's jaw tightened.
His eyes narrowed as a cold fury burning behind them.
He did not appreciate the Dutch manager predicting his physical demise.
The spotlight then shifted to the Brazilian winger, Antony.
"Antony, what are your thoughts on facing Real Madrid?" a journalist asked.
Antony grinned, oozing arrogance. "Real Madrid may possess the most Champions League titles historically, but in my view, ever since Cristiano Ronaldo departed, that club has been in a constant state of rebuilding. They are nothing special anymore."
He leaned forward. "Tomorrow night, Ajax will deliver a heavy blow to Real Madrid right here at Yankee Stadium!"
Zidane, standing next to Theodore, crossed his arms.
The Frenchman's face darkened with anger.
The Ajax duo had managed to insult both the club's new €320 million asset and the manager's tactical project in the span of three minutes.
Ten minutes later, Ten Hag and Antony vacated the stage.
It was Zidane and Theodore's turn.
Before the journalists could raise their hands, Zidane leaned into the microphone.
"Just moments ago, an Ajax player claimed that Real Madrid is still rebuilding," Zidane stated, his voice calm but laced with venom.
"As the manager of this football club, allow me to clarify something."
"Real Madrid has already completed the rebuild. Or rather, let me be precise: Real Madrid has never needed to rebuild."
"No matter which player leaves, Real Madrid will always remain Real Madrid."
Zidane's eyes swept the room. "Tomorrow night, I assure you, the Real Madrid players who step onto that pitch will teach our opponents a harsh lesson. Although this is classified as a preseason friendly, we will utilize everything we have to destroy them."
Zidane stepped back and Theodore leaned forward.
"Coach Ten Hag just stated that Real Madrid's investment in me was a mistake," Theodore said, his voice devoid of emotion.
"What I have to say is this: whether my price tag is justified is not decided by Erik ten Hag. History will decide that."
Theodore stared dead into the cameras. "Furthermore, Coach Ten Hag has spent his career in the Eredivisie. He possesses absolutely no understanding of my level. But there is no need to rush. Tomorrow night, I will personally demonstrate my true strength to him on the pitch."
The press room exploded with murmurs as the friendly match had just turned into a war!
...
Match day.
By four o'clock in the afternoon, the streets surrounding Yankee Stadium were a sea of pristine white jerseys.
Real Madrid's global hegemony was on full display; the Dutch contingent was vastly outnumbered.
At six o'clock, the turnstiles opened, and the 30,000-capacity baseball stadium began to fill.
Down in the bowels of the stadium, the atmosphere was thick with tension.
The pre-match war of words had ensured there were no greetings in the tunnel.
Handshakes were absent.
At half past seven, the starting lineups were released.
In the Sky Sports broadcast booth, Martin Tyler and Gary Neville analyzed the team sheets.
"Welcome, viewers from around the world, to this highly anticipated clash between Real Madrid and Ajax!" Tyler announced. "The lineups are in, and it seems neither manager is holding back!"
"Ten Hag deploys a 4-2-3-1," he continued. "André Onana in goal."
"Noussair Mazraoui, Perr Schuurs, Lisandro Martínez, and Nicolás Tagliafico form the back four."
"Edson Álvarez and Ryan Gravenberch sit in the double pivot."
"The attacking trio of Antony, Quincy Promes, and Dušan Tadić operate behind the lone striker, Lassina Traoré."
"And for Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane rolls out his classic 4-3-3."
"Thibaut Courtois in goal."
"Ferland Mendy, Raphaël Varane, Éder Militão, and Marcelo at the back."
"A midfield trio of Theodore Bjorn, Casemiro, and Luka Modrić."
"Vinícius Jr., Karim Benzema, and Martin Ødegaard lead the line!"
"Although this is technically a friendly, both managers have deployed their strongest XIs!" Tyler noted.
"Indeed," Neville agreed. "The pre-match comments have touched a nerve. This is going to be incredibly feisty!"
The teams marched out onto the pitch.
The pre-match handshakes were a brief, cold formality.
Peep!
Real Madrid kicked off.
Benzema tapped the ball back to Casemiro in the center circle and darted toward the Ajax penalty area.
But Ajax executed Ten Hag's famous high press flawlessly. Antony and Promes swarmed Casemiro, suffocating him.
Denied a forward passing lane, Casemiro turned back and laid the ball off to Varane.
The Ajax press didn't relent. Lassina Traoré and Tadić sprinted at the French center-back like rabid dogs.
Panicking under the intense pressure, Varane launched a hurried, aimless long ball down the left flank.
The ball dropped to Vinícius Jr.
But before the young Brazilian could take a touch, he was enclosed in a trap.
Mazraoui and Edson Álvarez double-teamed him.
Facing two aggressive defenders, Vinícius made a poor decision.
He tried to dribble his way out of trouble, But against the organized Ajax block, it was impossible.
He was dispossessed by Álvarez.
Ajax countered with terrifying speed.
Álvarez launched a raking diagonal pass over the Madrid midfield, picking out Dušan Tadić on the left wing.
Tadić, the creative heartbeat of the Ajax attack, brought the ball down gracefully.
The only man standing between him and the penalty area was Luka Modrić.
Tadić dropped his shoulder, pushing the ball to his left, and accelerated.
Modrić, realizing he was beaten for pace, launched into a desperate sliding tackle.
But Tadić anticipated it
. With a deft touch of his right boot, he dragged the ball out of the Croatian's path, leaving Modrić sliding on the turf.
"Tadić skins Modrić!" Tyler shouted. "Brilliant footwork from the Ajax captain!"
Before Tyler could finish praising him, Tadić whipped a lethal, low-driven through ball.
The pass acted like a scalpel.
It flashed straight through the massive gap between Ferland Mendy and Varane.
Lassina Traoré had timed his run to perfection.
The Ajax striker met the ball in stride inside the box and lashed a vicious, first-time shot.
The ball tore past Courtois and slammed into the back of the net.
1-0!
"GOAL! Ajax draw first blood!" Tyler roared.
Traoré sprinted to the corner flag, waving his arms in triumph. Scoring against Real Madrid, even in a friendly, was a monumental achievement!
On the touchline, Zidane was livid.
He stormed to the edge of his technical area, screaming at his players. "Wake up! Stop treating this like a training session! Show me one hundred percent! Attack them!"
The primary reason Zidane sent out the starting lineup was to teach Ajax a lesson.
But the main players had held back.
They did not show their real level.... the lethargy was obvious.
This made Zidane angry!
"Don't be afraid of getting injured! You must win tonight's match for me! Everyone, push forward and attack!"
The Real Madrid players, thoroughly embarrassed, did not dare to be careless anymore.
Right after the restart, they poured forward with genuine intent and created danger in front of the Ajax goal.
Modrić carried the ball forward.
In the center of midfield, just after Modrić received Casemiro's pass, the Ajax defensive players were in position.
Promes and Gravenberch came from the left and right, trying to execute a double-team and trap Modrić.
Seeing this trap, Modrić bypassed Theodore entirely and kicked a beautiful, lofted long ball straight toward the front.
On the forward line, Benzema had already started to speed up.
In his battle against Ajax center-back Schuurs, Benzema bullied him off the ball and won.
After getting into position first, he received the ball with his back to goal on the left side of the penalty area.
In one fluid motion, Benzema turned around and snapped a vicious right-footed shot.
The ball whipped past Onana but brushed past the right post and went out of play.
Real Madrid missed a great shooting chance!
Inside the Sky Sports studio, Gary Neville noted, "The first half has been going for around ten minutes, but Theodore has not had many chances to touch the ball. He seems to be outside the Real Madrid attacking system."
"If Theodore wants to justify that price tag and earn the trust of his teammates, he still has a massive mountain to climb."
On Twitter, millions of global fans watching the match began to grow anxious.
"What the hell is going on?! PASS THE BALL TO THEO!"
"Why are Modrić and Casemiro ignoring him?!"
"Theo and Ødegaard look completely lost out there. Absolute ghost town."
Theodore was not anxious.
He understood the hierarchy.
He had been waiting for a chance to force them to respect him.
In the 15th minute, the chance finally came.
Ajax attacked.
During this period, their attacking core Promes had been putting on an absolute clinic in the midfield.
Using rapid changes of pace and direction, he dribbled past Casemiro and Modrić one after another, humiliating the Champions League winners.
Just as Promes was about to shoot from the edge of the D, Real Madrid's final midfield anchor, Theodore Bjorn, appeared in front of him.
Before this, Promes had beaten Casemiro and Modrić in a row.
This increased his confidence.
He was brimming with supreme arrogance.
Naturally, he did not take the eighteen-year-old Theodore seriously at all!
---------
Read 30 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator