THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Coach Johansen had decided to put in a few hours of work in his office after sending away his players. He had a tight schedule with all the Europa League, Tippeligaen, and Norwegian Cup matches coming up in August. He didn't have the luxury of relaxing and resting — at least not until he'd won some trophies with Rosenborg.

However, just as he'd entered a deep state of concentration, designing the game plan for the match against Sogndal, Mr. Erik Hoftun, the sporting director, burst into his office. The man seemed pretty angry at that moment.

"Boyd," he said, creasing a brow and holding the coach's gaze. "What's this I'm hearing about you initiating the process of signing four unknown and inexperienced players? How come I know nothing about these transactions?"

"Erik, have a seat first," Coach Johansen replied, raising an arm in a placating gesture. "We can discuss slowly after that. Okay?"

"Hmmm," the sporting director harrumphed at that. But he still settled down in one of the free chairs in front of Coach Johansen's desk. "I'll ask again. How come you're about to sign four players from who knows where? We haven't even assessed them to see if they can fit in Rosenborg, yet, you've already negotiated personal terms with them."

"The chairman gave me the go-ahead to utilize a budget of 4 million Euros to strengthen my squad," Coach Johansen replied, matching the sporting director's gaze. "That's what I did. I went ahead and searched for four players that I'm sure will boost the defensive capabilities of my squad. So, where am I wrong, Mr. Director?"

"Stop with the sarcasm, Boyd," the sporting director said, also matching the coach's gaze. "You know very well that you can't sign the players without first consulting me. But you've gone ahead and offered inexperienced players promissory estoppels in the name of Rosenborg. What's wrong with you? What if you find they aren't as talented as you expected? What then?"

"They are very talented young players," Coach Johansen insisted confidently. "I'm sure about that. Just wait and see. You'll understand what I mean when they start playing for Rosenborg. Moreover, we can refuse to offer them any contracts if they don't pass the medicals. So, what are you worried about?"

"You're that confident," Mr. Erik said, raising a brow. "But have you considered that if you're wrong, your job will be in jeopardy? You're about to spend 3.8 million dollars on inexperienced players that might or might not perform. That's a risky venture that can negate all your achievements with Rosenborg if it doesn't bear fruit."

Coach Johansen could only sigh without giving any comments. He was aware that he was treading on thin ice after deciding to make the purchases. Buying a young inexperienced player was like casting a bet. You never really knew whether it would result in a profit or a loss in the long run. But he was prepared to try since he trusted Zachary's vision and his own intuition.

"Who the hell even picked that list of players?" Mr. Hoftun continued after noticing that Coach Johansen was choosing to remain silent. "Why are you so confident in signing them? Is it Mr. Stein? Why didn't you consult any other executives before offering them the promissory estoppels?" He was firing questions at a rate of a machine gun while matching the coach's gaze.

"Mr. Erik," Coach Johansen said after a short while. His tone had finally turned very solemn. "If you wanted me to buy established and experienced players, you should have increased my budget to at least 12 million. I'm only working with the money I have — the same funds that you allocated to me, to the best of my ability. Yet, here you are complaining! So, what do you want me to do?"

The sporting director could only sigh on hearing the question. "Boyd," he said, shaking his head. "I know that you're doing your best for the club. But before you make major decisions, at least consult the legal advisor or me first. Okay?"

"I understand," Coach Johansen replied, voice softening. "But I needed to offer these four players a legally binding promise of a contract right away. Otherwise, I would have lost them to some other party. That was why I was quick to act. However, they are very talented. I promise you that."

"If you say so," Mr. Hoftun said, shaking his head. "One more thing. Did Zachary's Twitter post, the one about having never thought of leaving Rosenborg, have something to do with you?"

"Why would you ask me that, Erik?" Coach Johansen countered with his own question. "Zachary is an adult with his own agent. He has his own thoughts about which clubs he would like to play for."

"But you've been his coach from the academy years," the sporting director argued, holding the coach's gaze. "You do have some sway over his decisions. Don't you?"

"Do you really believe that I can convince a player as talented as him to remain with us if he doesn't wish to?" Coach Johansen said, shaking his head. "It's his own decision to stay at the club. And since he has already made it public, you better put a halt to your thoughts of selling him. Otherwise, you'll antagonize the entire Rosenborg fan base right in the middle of the season."

"Coach Johansen," Mr. Erik said, letting out a breath. "I hope you know what you're doing. Have a good day." He stood up quickly and walked out of the office.

Coach Johansen could only sigh and shake his head after the sporting director's dramatic departure. He could guess that the rest of the executives were against the signing of the young players — perhaps due to the club's financial situation.

Nevertheless, he was determined to follow through with the signing, even if he risked antagonizing the whole bunch of them. He preferred winning trophies to making profits or cutting losses as a football manager. He was a coach, not a businessman.

**** ****

After returning to his apartment, Zachary immediately feasted on a sumptuous breakfast to sate his hunger — before going through his morning yoga routine for the next hour. He then cleaned up and settled on a sofa, intending to relax while training in the system's G.O.A.T Skills Simulator.

But just then, he recalled he'd made a promise to Kristin the night before Rosenborg's Europa League match against the Crusaders. Without any more dilly-dallying, he picked up his phone and dialed Mr. Stein's number.

"Hello, Zachary," Mr. Stein intoned after picking up the phone almost instantaneously. "How have you been? Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, Mr. Stein," Zachary replied. "What about you? How're you doing?"

"I'm okay and just enjoying retirement," Mr. Stein replied. "Did you give some thought to my proposal? What is your view on the idea?"

"Well," Zachary said, trying to organize his thoughts as quickly as possible. "I've thought about the idea for quite some time now and also made some consultations. It's a good idea, yes."

"But?" Mr. Stein said from the other end of the line as if he could read his mind.

Zachary sighed on hearing that before continuing. "But I think it's too early for me to be thinking about establishing an academy. I really don't want to take my focus away from football, especially during this period when I'm still growing as an athlete."

"Oh," Mr. Stein said in a relaxed tone. "That's understandable."

"But I can still consider implementing the idea in like two years," Zachary continued. "That'll even be better for us since I might have already established myself as a world-class footballer by then. Don't you think so, Mr. Stein?"

"That's a good way of thinking, Zachary," Mr. Stein replied. "We had to wait until you were ready either way. But don't forget me when your fame explodes and you become famous all over the world." He added jokingly.

"That'll never happen," Zachary said.

"Okay, that puts my heart at ease," Mr. Stein replied. "Thanks for calling, Zachary. If there's nothing else, I'll have to say goodbye since I was in the middle of a meeting."

"Okay, have a nice day, Mr. Stein," Zachary said.

"Have a nice day, too," Mr. Stein replied and then ended the call.

Zachary let out a pent-up breath of air after placing his phone on the table. He always found it hard to say no to people, especially those close to him.

Nonetheless, he was glad that he'd finally communicated his decision to Mr. Stein after battling with it for close to two months. He could finally relax and focus on football.

With a light heart, he activated the G.O.A.T Skills Simulator at the cost of two Juju-points. He practiced his dribbling and shooting skills hundreds of times inside the virtual world created by the system until it was almost time for his date with Camilla.

**** ****