The victory against Bayern Munich was a seismic event in the Bundesliga title race, but in the days that followed, the aftershocks were all centered on one sixteen-year-old boy.
The narrative of the match, as told by the German and international press, was not just about Dortmund's tactical triumph; it was about the startling evolution of Mateo Álvarez.
And it was all because of the words of one man: Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola's post-match comments, delivered in quiet, rapid Spanish directly to Mateo but overheard by a few sharp-eared journalists, had become the defining soundbite of the Klassiker.
The praise was not the usual generic platitude about a young player's potential. It was specific, analytical, and deeply insightful.
