At half past eight, the referee blew the whistle to begin the Spanish Super Cup final.
Real Madrid kicked off first!
In today's match, the two midfielders partnering Theodore were Toni Kroos and Casemiro.
Casemiro's role was strictly defense-first, which allowed Theodore to commit more of his terrifying energy into the attack.
Only three minutes after kickoff, Theodore controlled the ball in midfield.
When Barcelona's players saw him take possession, they did not hesitate.
They swarmed toward Theodore, desperate to disrupt his rhythm early. Among the pressers were Frenkie de Jong and Pedri.
Both young midfielders were full of energy. In the first league meeting, De Jong and Pedri had both started, so they knew exactly how devastating Theodore's individual ability was.
But Theodore remained perfectly calm.
He did not panic at the double-team. Instead, he suddenly stop, halting his momentum, before changing direction sharply in the next instant.
In a flash, Theodore slipped cleanly through the microscopic gap between Pedri and De Jong.
With one explosive touch, he easily tore through the first line of the press and charged straight toward Barcelona's penalty area.
When Barcelona's defenders saw the run, panic set in. Sergio Busquets was the first to step out to confront him.
The veteran holding midfielder stuck out a foot, trying to make a tactical foul, but Theodore completely ignored Busquets' attempt.
He simply dropped his shoulder and slammed his massive frame hard into Busquets.
Busquets had no answer to the sheer physical power. He was knocked straight to the turf.
Immediately after that, Theodore glided into Barcelona's penalty area.
That series of individual breakthroughs instantly pushed the atmosphere in the stadium to its absolute peak.
Tens of thousands of Real Madrid fans rose from their seats, roaring Theodore's name.
Bang!
The moment Theodore stepped into the penalty area, he did not look for a pass.
He immediately unleashed a thunderous shot!
The ball pierced through the opposing defense like a bullet.
It shot through the gap between the bodies of two Barcelona center-backs and flew straight toward the bottom corner.
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen had absolutely no time to react.
He was completely rooted to the spot, only able to turn his head and watch the ball ripple the net.
1–0!
"THAT'S IN!" Rob Palmer roared in the broadcast booth. "Theodore scores in only the third minute of the final!"
"One-nil to Real Madrid!"
"This is completely a display of Theodore's unstoppable individual brilliance!"
"After receiving the ball in midfield, Theodore bypasses De Jong, Pedri, and Busquets on his own, drives straight into the box, and fires a devastating shot past Ter Stegen!"
"It's a masterclass in direct, powerful dribbling," Terry Gibson added. "Almost every time Theodore faces Barcelona, he produces a spectacular moment early on. He is truly their nightmare."
After Barcelona conceded, the broadcast camera cut to Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman.
Judging from the Dutchman's grim expression and slumped posture, Koeman was already in despair.
Before this match began, Koeman had spent hours preparing specific defensive plans to contain Theodore, but he absolutely had not expected his entire midfield to be bypassed by brute force after only three minutes.
After the restart, Barcelona's players instantly lost their earlier sharpness.
It seemed as though the trauma of the 7-2 defeat was flooding back.
For the next few minutes, Barcelona kept passing the ball slowly around the middle and back lines.
They did not dare push forward aggressively, terrified of leaving space behind for Theodore to exploit.
Seeing their hesitation, Theodore decisively called for his teammates to initiate a high press.
Barcelona's backline was vulnerable under pressure, and aside from Benzema, Real Madrid's attackers possessed frightening pace and stamina.
The press was suffocating.
Before long, Madrid regained possession high up the pitch. Once again, it was Theodore who forced the turnover.
He first used his immense body strength to muscle Busquets off the ball.
Once Busquets lost his balance, Theodore cleanly poked the ball away.
The loose ball fell to Ødegaard. But Ødegaard did not attempt to drive into the box. Instead, he recognized the space opening up and immediately rolled the ball back to Theodore on the edge of the area.
Without taking a touch to set himself, Theodore suddenly unleashed a wicked first-time strike.
Bang!
The ball carried terrifying, vicious spin as it swerved violently toward the Barcelona goal.
The ball bent toward the goal with vicious dip.
2–0!
Theodore Bjorn secured his second goal of the match!
In the stands of the Olympic Stadium, the traveling Real Madrid supporters erupted, initiating their victory celebrations.
Theodore's name echoed through the night sky.
On the pitch, Madrid's players mobbed the teenager, raising their arms in triumph.
By contrast, despair painted the faces of the Barcelona players.
Ten minutes had passed since kickoff, yet Theodore had breached Marc-André ter Stegen's net twice. An enormous weight settled over the Catalan squad and their supporters.
On the bench, Ronald Koeman covered his eyes with both hands.
The match had become painful to watch.
Following the restart, the trailing Barcelona side launched an attack.
Against a Madrid team in peak form, the effort felt like a light scratch, posing no threat to Thibaut Courtois.
Lionel Messi received a pass from Pedri on the right flank. Theodore and Casemiro, Madrid's twin defensive anchors, closed the space.
Messi shifted his weight to his left foot, attempting to use his trademark agility to escape the trap.
Before the Argentine could execute his move, Theodore stepped in and stole the ball with a clean tackle.
Madrid's counterattack ignited!
Using his massive stride, Theodore carried the ball toward the Barcelona penalty area.
Messi chased behind him.
Although Messi possessed elite acceleration in his youth, he was thirty-three. His pace could no longer match his peak years.
He could only watch Theodore's back pull further away.
"What a blistering speed!" Rob Palmer called out in the broadcast booth. "Once Theodore gets into his stride, he is like a Formula One car! No one can keep up!"
"Messi is struggling to chase Theodore down, reminiscent of when he chased Kaká years ago!" Terry Gibson added.
Theodore shed Messi's pursuit.
Gerard Piqué and Sergio Busquets stepped up to halt the teenager.
The two Barcelona veterans formed a blockade.
Theodore felt no pressure.
A sharp change of direction and a burst of acceleration left the defenders flat-footed.
Theodore flashed past Piqué and Busquets like a gust of wind, charging into the penalty area.
Clément Lenglet rushed out to confront him. Theodore remained composed.
As the French center-back committed to the challenge, Theodore poked the ball forward with his right foot, slipping it right between Lenglet's legs.
A flawless nutmeg.
Without hesitation, Theodore fired.
The ball shot past Ter Stegen, who stood rooted to the goal line!
3–0!
"GOALLLLLLLLL!" Palmer roared. "Ter Stegen didn't even dive! Theodore's shot flew into the net like a cannonball!"
"Three-nil in fifteen minutes," Gibson said in disbelief.
On the touchline, Koeman stood frozen.
The Dutchman had prepared targeted tactical plans to exact revenge on Real Madrid.
Instead, he was witnessing a nightmare.
Barcelona had no chance of winning; the only remaining suspense was the final goal tally.
In the stands, tens of thousands of Barcelona fans stared at one another in stunned silence, overwhelmed by heartache.
After the restart, the Barcelona players circulated the ball across their back line, unwilling to risk another forward thrust.
Messi refused to accept defeat as he demanded the ball.
His teammates obliged, passing it to their captain.
Receiving the ball in the Madrid half, Messi stood alone against the entire defensive line.
A decade ago, he might have challenged them all.
Today, he lacked the explosive impact.
Theodore did not even need to intervene. Casemiro and Dani Carvajal converged, dispossessing Messi with ease.
Another Madrid counterattack materialized.
The ball found Theodore.
As the midfield commander, he surveyed the pitch. He drove forward, drawing the attention of Busquets, Pedri, and Frenkie de Jong. The trio collapsed on him.
Theodore shattered the encirclement with a sweeping long pass.
The ball dropped onto the left flank into the path of Vinícius Jr. The Brazilian winger tore through the fractured Barcelona defense, charging into the box.
Panic gripped the penalty area. Vinícius seized the opening and fired a crisp shot past Ter Stegen.
4–0!
With a four-goal deficit, Barcelona's fighting spirit evaporated.
Even Messi stopped demanding the ball.
The first half concluded with Madrid holding a commanding lead, orchestrated by Theodore's hat-trick and Vinícius' finish.
During the break, Zinedine Zidane made a bold decision.
Viewing the victory as secure, he substituted Theodore.
Real Madrid faced a packed February schedule, and Zidane wanted to preserve his star player's stamina.
Seeing Theodore leave the pitch offered Barcelona a glimmer of hope.
They launched renewed attacks against the Madrid goal.
The Madrid defensive line stood firm however.
Efforts from Messi, Ousmane Dembélé, and Antoine Griezmann failed to trouble Courtois.
Without Theodore, Madrid's attacking threat diminished, resulting in a scoreless second half.
The final whistle confirmed Real Madrid as the Spanish Super Cup champions!
Theodore, with three goals and one assist, earned the Player of the Tournament honors.
On the podium, Sergio Ramos invited Theodore to lift the trophy alongside him.
While the Super Cup lacked the prestige of the Champions League or La Liga, it marked Theodore's first piece of silverware in Madrid white.
A genuine smile spread across his face as he hoisted the cup.