"He sees things that others don't see," Augsburg's coach admitted in his post-match interview. "You can prepare for pace, you can prepare for strength, you can even prepare for skill. But you cannot prepare for vision like that. It's a gift that cannot be taught."
The German sports media was unanimous in their praise. Kicker magazine's match report described him as "a player who thinks three moves ahead of everyone else on the pitch." Bild's headline was more direct: "Der Geschenk Delivers Again."
But it was the reaction of his teammates that meant the most to Mateo. As they boarded the team bus for the journey back to Dortmund, veteran defender Mats Hummels approached him with a smile.
"You know what the best part about that assist was?" Hummels asked. "It wasn't just the technique, though that was perfect. It was that you saw the run before Lewandowski even made it. That's not something you can learn that's pure instinct."
