At the post-match press conference, Simeone's expression was thunderous.
Since taking charge of Atlético, he had never suffered a defeat to Real Madrid by a four-goal margin.
"Simeone, what was the main reason for the collapse tonight?" a reporter from Diario Sport asked.
"You emphasized stopping Theodore in your pre-match comments, but he dominated the game."
"There are many reasons for a loss like this," Simeone answered clippedly. "Every Atlético player gave their effort. But this is football. Theodore defeated us with a flawless performance."
Simeone stood up abruptly. "We will meet again in the second half of the season. Atlético will be ready for revenge."
He walked out of the press room without fielding another question.
With the derby victory secured, Real Madrid extended their winning streak to thirteen matches, solidifying their iron grip on the top of the La Liga table.
...
Days later, Real Madrid hosted Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Champions League group stage.
Having already secured qualification as group winners, Zidane rotated his squad heavily.
Theodore, Modrić, and Courtois were given the night off.
Taking advantage of the rest, Theodore spent three days showing his parents around the historic streets of Madrid.
Xia Dongguo and Marianne Bjorn extended their stay until December 16—Theodore's nineteenth birthday.
With no matches scheduled, Theodore hosted a massive celebration at his villa.
The guest list was extensive: the entire Real Madrid first-team squad, the coaching staff, and club president Florentino Pérez were all in attendance.
Among the high-profile guests, sports journalist Ma Fanshu and Norway's Princess Ingrid Alexandra also arrived at the estate to celebrate the newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner's birthday.
This kept Xia Dongguo and Marianne Bjorn busy.
To host Theodore's friends, the couple woke early to prepare the ingredients.
At five in the afternoon, the younger Real Madrid players like Martin Ødegaard and Vinícius Jr. were the first to arrive.
Although Ødegaard and Vinícius were established first-team players with top-tier salaries for their age bracket, they were still stunned by the scale of Theodore's villa.
"Theodore, you're way too rich," Ødegaard said, shaking his head.
"It's all right. I suppose I've achieved financial freedom."
Vinícius chimed in, "If I were as rich as you, I would've stopped playing football ages ago!"
"Stopped playing? What would you do instead?"
Vinícius replied without hesitation, "Enjoy life! I'd go clubbing and lie on the beach in the sun!"
Theodore smiled to himself.
'Classic Brazilian winger mentality,' he thought.
More teammates trickled in. For the first time, Theodore felt his massive estate shrinking.
An hour later, Florentino Pérez and Zinedine Zidane arrived.
To mark the occasion, the Real Madrid president brought five bottles of 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild from his private cellar.
By then, the feast was ready.
Nordic and Chinese cuisine paired with vintage red wine. The guests dug in, praising Xia Dongguo's culinary skills.
"Uncle! Your cooking is delicious!" Ma Fanshu said, offering a thumbs-up. "It tastes like home."
Marianne Bjorn teased her, "Girl, why don't you just marry our Theo? If you do, his dad and I will cook for you every day!"
Ma Fanshu's face flushed red.
She whispered, "Theodore is a global football star, and I'm just a sports reporter. I'm not worthy of him."
She thought her voice was low enough to escape notice, forgetting Theodore was sitting right next to her.
"What are you muttering about?" he asked.
"Nothing… nothing," she denied.
She pulled a red scarf from her bag and handed it to him. "Happy birthday, Theodore. This is my gift to you."
Theodore examined the fabric. "Did you knit this yourself?"
"Mm."
"It's nice. I like it."
He smiled at her, warming her heart.
Across the table, Xia Dongguo and Marianne Bjorn exchanged knowing smiles.
Once the party concluded and the guests departed, Marianne Bjorn cornered Theodore about Ma Fanshu.
"Theo, I think Fanshu is a sweet girl. She knitted you a scarf by hand. She has feelings for you. Right, Dongguo?"
Xia Dongguo nodded, speaking with the air of an experienced man. "When your mother and I were dating, she gave me a scarf too. Yes, this Ma Fanshu likes you."
"Dad, are you saying Mom chased you back then?"
"Of course! Your father was a handsome young man in his youth!"
"Cut it out! Stop bragging! I wonder who sent me flowers every day, yet still has the nerve to claim I chased him," Marianne Bjorn scoffed, exposing the lie.
...
With the birthday celebrations over, Theodore shifted his focus back to football.
Not wanting to distract him from his training schedule, his parents flew back to Norway the next day.
On December 21, Real Madrid traveled to the Ipurua Municipal Stadium to face Eibar.
Facing a relegation-battling side, Madrid claimed an easy 4–0 away victory. Theodore recorded two goals and one assist.
Three days later, Real Madrid hosted Granada at the Bernabéu.
Madrid won 3–0 without breaking a sweat, extending their La Liga winning streak to fifteen matches.
Theodore was rested due to Zidane's squad rotation.
...
Time marched on to December 31—the final day of 2020.
Real Madrid traveled away to face mid-table Elche.
The red-hot Galácticos erupted for five goals in the first half alone.
Theodore scored four of them before being substituted at halftime, securing another dominant victory.
Entering 2021, Real Madrid's first opponent was Celta Vigo.
Madrid celebrated the new year by crushing their opponents 6–1 at the Bernabéu.
Theodore recorded a hat-trick of goals and a hat-trick of assists, directly contributing to every single goal.
Real Madrid now sat on a seventeen-match winning streak in La Liga.
Meanwhile, Theodore had amassed thirty-five league goals, placing him far ahead in the Pichichi race.
He led second-placed Lionel Messi by twenty goals.
Furthermore, Theodore led the league with seventeen assists.
Messi trailed in second place with six. In both scoring and playmaking, Theodore was overpowering his eternal rival. He had become the undisputed king of La Liga.
One week later, Real Madrid welcomed Osasuna.
Osasuna head coach Jagoba Arrasate had boasted in a pre-match interview that he would hand Madrid their first defeat of the season.
The result proved embarrassing.
Instead of a tactical upset, Osasuna suffered their heaviest defeat of the season.
Real Madrid thrashed them 7–1. Theodore scored four goals and provided an assist.
Following the final whistle, Arrasate skipped the post-match press conference, leaving the Bernabéu in disgrace.
Real Madrid's momentum in 2021 was frightening.
A 6–1 thrashing of Celta Vigo followed by a 7–1 demolition of Osasuna. Thirteen goals in two matches.
The invincible Galactic Battleship had set sail!
Five days later, Real Madrid prepared for the Supercopa de España semifinal.
Their opponent: Athletic Club Bilbao
A team far more resilient than Osasuna and Celta Vigo.